WIREDGOV

Ambulances unloaded patients three minutes faster last week, even as A&Es saw more ambulance handovers than any point last winter.

Figures released today show there were 94,551 ambulance handovers last week – higher than the busiest week last year (94,493 w/e 29 December 2024), and up almost 1,000 on the week previous and over 3,250 more than the same week last year.

Despite this, the average handover time last week (34:32) was almost 3 minutes faster than the week previous (37:22) and an improvement on the same point last year (35:04).

This comes almost eight months since the publication of the NHS’ urgent and emergency care plan, which set out a focus on keeping more ambulances on the road and improving patient flow through hospitals.

The ‘winter vomiting bug’ continues to build demand in hospitals with an average of over 1,100 adult beds closed or occupied each day last week due to norovirus.

There were an average of 950 patients in hospital each day last week with the bug – 127 more than the week previous and nearing the peak of cases we saw in February last year (961 w/e 2 February 2025).

There were 360,286 calls answered by NHS 111 last week – almost 5,000 more than the same week last year (355,452 w/e 26 January 2025).

Flu rates have dropped since last month’s peak, but there was still an average of 1,987 patients in hospital with flu and an average of 647 patients in hospital with covid-19 per day last week.

This follows latest vaccination data which shows 18.8 million flu vaccines have been delivered since the autumn/winter campaign began – around half a million more than at the same point last year, helping to keep more people out of hospital and protected against getting seriously ill from the virus.

4.7 million covid-19 vaccinations have been delivered so far this season and 2.5 million RSV vaccinations since the rollout kicked off – including almost 485,000 to pregnant women, helping to protect their babies against respiratory viruses from the moment they are born.

NHS National Medical Director Professor Meghana Pandit said: “Hospitals continue to face sustained pressure from viruses and other demands, but NHS staff have worked hard to tackle winter head on and it looks like this is having an impact.

“The NHS prepared earlier for winter than ever before and it is reassuring to see an improvement on ambulance handover times and fewer patients in hospital with flu than in previous years – in part thanks to staff delivering half a million more vaccinations than at the same point last year.

“Seasonal viruses continue to cause disruption and take up hospital beds, with cases of the winter vomiting bug triple what they were at the start of the month.

“You can prevent the spread of norovirus by frequent handwashing with soap and water and not returning to work, school or visiting hospitals until you are 48 hours symptom-free.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This winter has pushed the NHS hard, but staff are delivering. Ambulances are handing over faster, delays are coming down and flu is taking up fewer hospital beds than last year, even with demand running at near-record levels. That’s real progress, driven by the dedication of frontline staff and better preparation than ever before.

“We backed that effort with £450 million for urgent and emergency care, 500 new ambulances on the road and millions of vaccinations delivered this winter for flu, Covid and RSV, keeping people protected and out of hospital.

“Winter pressures haven’t gone away, but the NHS is meeting them head on. If you’re eligible, get vaccinated, follow public health advice and help us keep the service there for everyone who needs it.”

Amy Douglas, Lead Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “Norovirus activity has remained high in recent weeks, particularly among those aged 65 years and over and is now rising in children aged under 5 years too. Outbreaks in hospital settings have increased too, so please remember the simple steps we can all take to stop norovirus spreading.

“Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will also help stop infections from spreading. Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus so don’t rely on these alone.

“If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, don’t return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don’t prepare food for others in that time either. If you are unwell, avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes to prevent passing on the infection to those most vulnerable.”

The weekly situation report publications can be found here: Statistics » Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Reports 2025-26