Winter flu: NHS Fife ‘under increased pressure’ as cases rise

On Friday, Public Health Scotland (PHS) warned that cases across the whole of Scotland “continue to rise steeply”, and the Kingdom of Fife is no exception.

“We have seen a sharp rise in flu-related admissions in recent weeks, which has increased pressure on our already busy hospitals,” NHS Fife’s Director of Nursing, Janette Keenan, said.

“Flu has a significant impact on our services each winter, resulting in an increase in the number of people needing inpatient care and higher rates of staff absence.”

She continued: “It can often also lead to us having to temporarily restrict admissions to wards when the virus is brought into our hospitals inadvertently by visitors or staff.”

The latest flu figures from Public Health Scotland show a 63% increase in lab confirmed flu cases across the country in the past week.

The organisation added that GP consultation rates for influenza-like illness are also at the highest rate observed since the 2017/18 winter season, and hospital admissions have risen by 65% from 705 the previous week to 1,163 in Friday’s report.

“Although we always expect to see increases in flu in winter, currently we are seeing particularly high levels of the virus circulating,” Dr Nicholas Phin, Director of Public Health Science at PHS, said.

“This is a concern, as flu can lead to severe illness, hospitalisation, and even death, particularly among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, young children, and those with underlying health conditions.”

NHS Fife did not provide flu-specific numbers, but the health organisation clarified that a “sharp rise” in cases has increased pressures on “already busy hospitals” over the last few weeks.

“It is really important, therefore, particularly when flu is circulating as widely as it is currently, that anyone experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms postpones visiting family or other loved ones in hospital until they are well again. This helps protect the vulnerable patients in our hospitals and the staff working hard to care for them,” Ms Keenan said.

A&E attendance figures at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy have remained relatively steady since the end of summer, but waiting times have deteriorated. According to the latest statistics from PHS, only 59% of Victoria Hospital's A&E patients were seen within a four window during the week ending December 19 – which is down from 69.1% in mid-November.

Similarly, the number of people waiting more than 12 hours for A&E care increased from 16 to 72 from mid-November to December 15. Likewise, the number of people waiting more than eight hours increased by 269% from 54 to 199. In response to these pressures, PHS Scotland encouraged everyone across the country to “think carefully” before attending A&E services if they have flu-like symptoms.

“Your local A&E is for emergencies, such as a suspected heart attack or stroke, severe breathing difficulties or severe bleeding. If your condition is not life threatening, you should visit nhsinform.scot first to get trusted advice quickly. For further support, call your GP or NHS 24 on 111,” PHS Scotland said.