NHS & the Flu (again)

[hunnymonster]

You're missing the >95% occupancy that represents steady state plus all the drivebys coming in via ED (and all the stuff because it appears that it's near impossible to see a GP (when actually needed - appointment in 2-3 weeks time?l

 

[Box Brownie]

What I don’t understand from the figures is that on average 3000 patients were in hospital with flu last week. There are approx 900 hospitals which gives an average of around 3 patients per hospital. In doesn’t sound overwhelming.

Such numbers of free beds is likely quite volatile/variable, plus it might be that an individual hospital could be hard pressed to cope at any one period of time.

 

[Box Brownie]

I had my invitation to get the flu jab a while back and had it at the GP surgery, I could see that my receiving the jab was recorded on my medical record.

However, I then had 3 over about 6 weeks NHS App reminders to get the jab
NB though I have the app (since COVID period) I very rarely login.

 

[hunnymonster]

I could see that my receiving the jab was recorded on my medical record.

Regardless of where you get the jab, it should be recorded on your record (certainly in Scotland it is recorded nationally and reflected back to your GP record - GPs in Scotland largely seceded from delivering flu vacs because they claimed it didn't pay well enough)

 

[LeeRatters]

What I don’t understand from the figures is that on average 3000 patients were in hospital with flu last week. There are approx 900 hospitals which gives an average of around 3 patients per hospital. In doesn’t sound overwhelming.

But those figures don't fit in with the media scaremongering. So they gloss over it all, and use harder to understand/vague percentages instead along with their dramatic, worrying headlines to make things sound worse than they are.

 

[munch]

What I don’t understand from the figures is that on average 3000 patients were in hospital with flu last week. There are approx 900 hospitals which gives an average of around 3 patients per hospital. In doesn’t sound overwhelming.

Not all hospitals have an emergency department. Added to that we don't know how many staff are also "infected"

 

[munch]

But those figures don't fit in with the media scaremongering. So they gloss over it all, and use harder to understand/vague percentages instead along with their dramatic, worrying headlines to make things sound worse than they are.

Certainly not scaremongering at our local hospital,they are as busy as when they had covid.

See my post #16 about how bad it is in another hospital.

To be honest it doesn't take many patients to push hospitals into overload. Just look at how often ambulances normally have to wait outside A & E, because there aren't the beds for their patients.

 

[gman]

Add in the underspending on health (I refuse to call anything involving staffing costs "investment"), the ever increasing demands on the NHS, the constant reorganizations.

Aye, this is something I've noticed Starmer and many of the current Government recently doing, calling spending "investing" as if we are too stupid to see through the cheap misrepresentation trick. The other one they all loved was "social contract".

 

[arclight]

The UK population explosion is not helping.

EXACTLY ! ! !

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Aye, this is something I've noticed Starmer and many of the current Government recently doing, calling spending "investing" as if we are too stupid to see through the cheap misrepresentation trick.

Yes.

It's a rather nasty infection that has spread across from the Conservative Party. Still no signs of herd immunity to it...

 

[LeeRatters]

Certainly not scaremongering at our local hospital,they are as busy as when they had covid.

See my post #16 about how bad it is in another hospital.

To be honest it doesn't take many patients to push hospitals into overload. Just look at how often ambulances normally have to wait outside A & E, because there aren't the beds for their patients.

Gov.uk statistics first week of December.....

"The overall weekly hospital admission rate for influenza hospitalisations was increasing at 10.05 per 100,000 compared with 8.09 per 100,000 in the previous week"

10.05 per 100,000 = 100.5 per million
Gov.uk population - 69,281,400
100.5 x 69.2 = 6955 hospital admissions.
NHS England hospital figure - 1140 hospitals.
6955 /1140 = 6.1 patients per hospital.

 

[Brendan Mulachy]

A large proportion of NHS workers won’t take the flu jab. Why should anyone else, if the “pros” won’t? Vaccine ignorance is a real problem.

My missus and my daughter work front line in microbiology labs, they are always one of the first to have their flu jabs, they always manage to get the flu and this year both of them( my missus in particular have been dreadful for the past 2 weeks and has required a course of steroids to make her feel half human)...me, im sleeping in the same bed, asthmatic and i feel fine, ive never had the flu jab, never had the flu, ive had the odd mild cold occasionally , im not dissing the theory behind the flu vac, but its not for me

 

[munch]

Gov.uk statistics first week of December.....

"The overall weekly hospital admission rate for influenza hospitalisations was increasing at 10.05 per 100,000 compared with 8.09 per 100,000 in the previous week"

10.05 per 100,000 = 100.5 per million
Gov.uk population - 69,281,400
100.5 x 69.2 = 6955 hospital admissions.
NHS England hospital figure - 1140 hospitals.
6955 /1140 = 6.1 patients per hospital.

But as I said earlier not all hospitals have an A & E department, not all hospitals will be effected to the same extent.

 

[JohnC6]

We've been told by Wes Streeting and doctors that it's the worst strain of 'flu for 10 years... H3N2.. and is mainly affecting the young and elderly and many have been hospitalised. My wife and I had our 'flu vaccinations three weeks ago,

I managed to talk my wife out of a Tenerife holiday, we'd have gone today, that was advertised for a Tui hotel we've been to four times so we know it well ..infact we're going there in February. It was a very good late deal ...double room,sea view, half price. I really didn't want to stand with a load of people in a queue waiting to go through security at Birmingham airport and then sit with about 160-odd people on a four hour + flight, queue again to go through passport control, luggage retrieval ,an 80-seater bus to the hotel and eating in a dinning room with 450 other people.We've both picked up some nasty viruses on flights. The first thing I look out for on the plane is how near to us someone coughing is.

My wife, determined to get away..lol.. saw that the cottage we went to for several years near Lizard,Cornwall was also on offer at half price so we're booked in there. Infact, two of the cottages in the grounds of the owners were at half price not just the one we've booked. I wondered why ? In years gone by, we had to book the year before at this time..ie around December 20th into the New year. Maybe the hotel deal was as a result of a late cancellation.

 

[F1.2]

I asked recently for a Covid booster and was told I am not old enough ?
You now need to be over 75 to be eligible , so it's ok to possibly get covid and die at a younger age or
if you are older than 75 they will try and save you.

 

[LeeRatters]

We've been told by Wes Streeting and doctors that it's the worst strain of 'flu for 10 years... H3N2.. and is mainly affecting the young and elderly and many have been hospitalised. My wife and I had our 'flu vaccinations three weeks ago,

I managed to talk my wife out of a Tenerife holiday, we'd have gone today, that was advertised for a Tui hotel we've been to four times so we know it well ..infact we're going there in February. It was a very good late deal ...double room,sea view, half price. I really didn't want to stand with a load of people in a queue waiting to go through security at Birmingham airport and then sit with about 160-odd people on a four hour + flight, queue again to go through passport control, luggage retrieval ,an 80-seater bus to the hotel and eating in a dinning room with 450 other people.We've both picked up some nasty viruses on flights. The first thing I look out for on the plane is how near to us someone coughing is.

My wife, determined to get away..lol.. saw that the cottage we went to for several years near Lizard,Cornwall was also on offer at half price so we're booked in there. Infact, two of the cottages in the grounds of the owners were at half price not just the one we've booked. I wondered why ? In years gone by, we had to book the year before at this time..ie around December 20th into the New year. Maybe the hotel deal was as a result of a late cancellation.

But won't you have to do all of that, exactly the same, when you fly out to Tenerife in February?

 

[munch]

I asked recently for a Covid booster and was told I am not old enough ?
You now need to be over 75 to be eligible , so it's ok to possibly get covid and die at a younger age or
if you are older than 75 they will try and save you.

It is based on a risk profile. If you are under 75 and in relatively good health you are classed as low risk. Have certain health conditions then you would have been classed as high in the risk profile and be eligible for the jab.

 

[Nod]

I asked recently for a Covid booster and was told I am not old enough ?
You now need to be over 75 to be eligible , so it's ok to possibly get covid and die at a younger age or
if you are older than 75 they will try and save you.

FWIW, GPs don't like it any more than we do. In the view of the GP who gave me my 'flu jab, prevention of infection is far better (and cheaper) than treating it.

Again, FWIW, I had no after effects (other than an improved resistance to some strains) from the jab - not even a stiff arm.

 

[Dave Canon]

What I don’t understand from the figures is that on average 3000 patients were in hospital with flu last week. There are approx 900 hospitals which gives an average of around 3 patients per hospital. In doesn’t sound overwhelming.

Unless they were already overwhelmed before flu patients arrived. I had a mini-stroke in June 2019 and was taken to hospital by ambulance at around 0800. I was seen by A&E staff almost immediately and pronounced stable but to be kept in for 24hours for observation. I was then parked in the corridor until a bed became available in the afternoon.

I personally think that parliament should initiate a study of the future of the health system and particularly review systems that appear to work better than ours (Germany, Sweden). I would then like the main parties to agree on a way forward so that once they do so, the health system is no longer a political football and we (and the staff) would have some long term certainty.

Dave

 

[Dave Canon]

I asked recently for a Covid booster and was told I am not old enough ?
You now need to be over 75 to be eligible , so it's ok to possibly get covid and die at a younger age or
if you are older than 75 they will try and save you.

It is not just based on age but those who have weakened immune systems are also included. I qualified on both criteria but, if I had a choice, I would like to be younger

Dave

 

[cambsno]

Unless they were already overwhelmed before flu patients arrived. I had a mini-stroke in June 2019 and was taken to hospital by ambulance at around 0800. I was seen by A&E staff almost immediately and pronounced stable but to be kept in for 24hours for observation. I was then parked in the corridor until a bed became available in the afternoon.

I personally think that parliament should initiate a study of the future of the health system and particularly review systems that appear to work better than ours (Germany, Sweden). I would then like the main parties to agree on a way forward so that once they do so, the health system is no longer a political football and we (and the staff) would have some long term certainty.

Dave

I have long said that Health & Social Care and probably Education should be politically neutral. It should be able to plan long term without having to think in 5 year cycles and thinking about soundbites. It should be led by senior medical professionals who understand what is best for patient needs, and steal ideas from other countries. For education, also loop in business leaders so we are setting our kids up for better futures.

 

[Mr Bump]

everyone in Gran Canaria is coughing like 20 a day beagles, we are keeping away from the busy bars and restaurants a bit at the moment I have also seen people back to wearing masks on the buses..

mind you FAG watch hit a new low a few days ago saw an unknown brand 200, for 16euros