Pressures on the NHS have “escalated rapidly” over the festive period, with hospitals experiencing significant bed shortages, a leading doctor has warned.

Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM), said many hospitals reported more than 99% capacity in the week before Christmas.

He said services are being placed under significant strain as they enter the new year and called for non-urgent operations to be postponed until at least the end of January.

Doctors have described corridors overflowing with patients and used social media in a bid to find extra staff to cope with demand.

Portsmouth hospitals NHS trust, in Hampshire, tweeted on Sunday: “The hospital is extremely busy at the moment and we are asking any medical or nursing staff available for a shift tonight or tomorrow to make contact.”

Epsom and St Helier University hospitals trust, in London, also appealed for staff to work on New Year’s Eve “due to sickness and high volumes of patients”.

Dr Richard Fawcett, from the Royal Stoke University hospital, wrote on Saturday that it had run out corridor space in A&E after ambulances were diverted from County hospital, Stafford.

NHS England said hospitals were “generally coping”, with overall bed occupancy levels down from 95% in the lead-up to Christmas to about 93%.



Scriven said: “Since the bank holiday, things have escalated rapidly and we are on the cusp of a major issue at least as bad as last year when it was described by the Red Cross as a humanitarian crisis.

“There is an awful lot of respiratory illness causing a lot of severe symptoms in the old and young and 10- to 12-hour delays in emergency departments are now not uncommon – along with patients being placed on inappropriate wards.”

He urged hospitals to prepare for extra demand, adding: “I fear for acute trusts this next week.”

Public Health England figures show a significant rise in the number of people reporting flu-like symptoms to their GP in the week ending 28 December from the previous seven days.

NHS Providers, which represents health service acute, ambulance, community and mental health services, has warned this year’s flu strain is “potentially the worst we have seen in two decades”.

Last week, hospitals were advised to defer non-urgent operations until mid-January.

NHS England said hospitals must free up beds for the sickest patients, adding that – by acting early – they can avoid last-minute cancellations that can be costly and inconvenient for patients.

Scriven did not know how many trusts had taken the advice, which followed a decision at a meeting of the new NHS national emergency pressures panel.

But he said: “To be at this point now – with reports of some hospitals even diverting patients between Christmas and new year when there is traditionally a lull – suggests we may be in desperate times.

“With us yet to experience any significant infection outbreaks, my belief is that trusts may be wise to consider cancelling some elective surgery until at least the end of January and maybe into February.”

A spokesman for NHS England said: “As you would expect at this time of year, our hospitals are extremely busy, but thanks to hard-working NHS staff and robust plans in place to meet winter pressures, they are generally coping.

“Hospitals are currently reporting bed occupancy levels of 92-93% – down from 95% previously.

“Bed occupancy on Christmas Eve was down to 84.2%, compared with 95.3% on 18 December.

“Hospitals are prioritising the increased numbers of emergency patients over non-urgent planned services, and additional services and beds are coming online, funded by the winter budget cash released by the government.”