The chief of NHS England is warning that flu cases are skyrocketing, causing huge problems for hospitals.

The number of patients in hospital in England suffering from the virus rose to an average of more than 5,400 a day last week – nearly 1,000 more than a week earlier.

Professor Julian Redhead, of NHS England, said cases were rising at an “alarming rate” due to the “overcrowding of patients” in hospitals.

He said this was causing delays in A&E and ambulances as staff struggled to meet the demands placed on them.

It comes as almost 20 NHS trusts have been forced to declare serious incidents under pressure.

Professor Redhead, NHS England’s national director of emergency care, said the “skyrocketing” flu cases came as a result of continued pressure from other viruses including Covid and the vomiting bug norovirus.

He apologized for the problems being faced, saying staff were disappointed with the quality of care being provided under such pressure.

“I’m really proud of the way my colleagues have responded to the pressure… but no one wants to see delays in ambulances going out and delays in patients getting the beds they need. No one The system wouldn’t be proud of what’s happening.”

The number of flu patients is more than three times what it was this time last year – and is now on par with the number seen in early 2023 – making it one of the worst flu seasons in years.

That, coupled with bad weather and flooding, means the NHS has had a “brutal” start to the new year, according to Saffron Cordery of NHS Providers, which represents health managers.

And he added: “We are not out of the woods yet. Things are likely to get worse before they get better.”

“The strain and pressure on emergency services is a major concern as many patients have to wait long periods of time for ambulances and A&ES.”

Liz Shearer is one of many people who have shared their experiences with the BBC about the care provided.

Her elderly mother spent more than 30 hours last week in the corridor on a hospital trolley as there were no bandages available. She was taken to hospital after collapsing in her care home.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. It was like a Victorian workhouse. The nurses were saying how bad it was, and they were saying they would just have to deal with it.”

Yvonne Wolstenholme spent 13 hours in A&E after being sent there by her GP because she was struggling to breathe.

“It was absolutely massive pain,” he said. “The staff are under snow, they’re literally running around like headless chickens and it’s not because of a lack of skills, it’s because of seeing individual patients. There is shortage of time for.

“When I was there, there were at least eight ambulance crews waiting to hand over patients and obviously if they were waiting there they wouldn’t be on the streets.”

• The average ambulance response time for a life-threatening category one call such as cardiac arrest was 8 minutes 40 seconds in December. target is 7 minutes
• For category two calls, which include heart attack and stroke, the duration was 47 minutes 26 seconds. target is 18 minutes
• Only 71% of patients attending A&E were seen and treated or admitted within the four-hour target time