NHS braces for ‘unprecedented flu wave’ as hospitalised cases in England rise
The NHS is facing an “unprecedented flu wave”, a senior healthcare leader said, as the number of people with the illness in hospitals across England hit a record high.The statistics, published by NHS England as part of its first weekly snapshot of the performance of hospitals this winter, found that an average of 1,717 flu patients were in beds each day last week – more than 50% higher than last year – including 69 patients whose condition was critical.This is compared with 1,098 flu patients in NHS hospital beds at the same time last year, representing a 56% increase.In 2023 there were 160 flu patients in beds in the same week.Prof Julian Redhead, the national director for urgent and emergency care, said the figures confirmed the NHS’s “deepest concerns” that the health service was bracing for an unprecedented flu wave this winter, with cases “incredibly high for this time of year and there is no peak in sight yet”.
“The NHS has prepared earlier for winter than ever before, but despite that we know that ballooning flu cases coinciding with strikes may stretch our staff close to breaking point in the coming weeks,” he added.The figures also reveal that 30% of patients arriving by ambulance at hospitals in England last week waited at least 30 minutes to be handed over to A&E teams, slightly down from 36% the week before.Resident doctors in England have voted to begin a five-day strike, which will run from 7am on 17 December until 7am on 22 December, coinciding with the surge in flu cases.Referring to the strikes, Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS England, told the NHS board there was a “genuine and palpable feeling of anger, frustration, exasperation”.“We’re all just really trying to get our heads around something that feels cruel, feels calculated to cause mayhem at a time when the service is really pulling all the stops out to try and avoid that and keep people safe,” he said.
“So I really do hope we can find a way of avoiding this.We can’t expect this round to be similar to the last two, because it’s now being called at the height of winter, when we’ve got a lot of flu around, and we are actively considering what our national response to that should be.”By this time next week, the number of flu patients in NHS beds could rise as high as 8,000, Mackey said.Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive of the King’s Fund, said the figures confirmed that the NHS was “entering the most challenging period of the year, with pressures hitting the health and care service from all directions”.“Rising flu waves and industrial action are all adding strain to a system which is already struggling to deliver timely care for patients,” Woolnough said.
“The flu season started unusually early this year and is yet to peak, so it is too soon to know how long this surge will be sustained for.”Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said: “We will do all we can to weather this storm.I am determined that with the proper planning, record investment and modernisation this government is bringing in, we’ll have a more resilient NHS for this winter and beyond.”
Rachel Reeves will not be investigated over pre-budget briefing, FCA says
The UK’s financial regulator has decided not to immediately investigate Rachel Reeves and the Treasury over pre-budget briefings but left the door open for further examination of what the Conservatives claimed amounted to market manipulation.In a letter addressed to the chair of the Treasury committee, Meg Hillier, the the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the regulator had turned down requests by politicians including the shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, to open an inquiry into briefings made before last week’s announcement by the chancellor.Nikhil Rathi said the FCA had “not commenced an enforcement investigation” into potential market abuse, but added that the regulator would consider the findings of a Treasury inquiry into pre-budget leaks.On Wednesday, the Treasury minister James Murray said the department’s permanent secretary, James Bowler, would review “security processes” to inform future events. He said the inquiry had the “full support” of Reeves and the “whole Treasury team”
What has gone wrong at Zipcar – and is UK car-sharing market dead?
Rotherhithe Community Kitchen in south London has been delivering hundreds of cooked meals a week for the last two years to pensioners and vulnerable residents. Yet the volunteer group’s plans have been thrown into disarray by the news that they will not have access to cars and vans on New Year’s Day.The group had relied on Zipcar, the car-sharing company that offered customers the ability to access its fleet of vehicles from the street using an app. The company caused shock across London on Monday when it said it would shut down UK operations from 1 January.It will mean many of the volunteers will be unable to collect food from the Felix Project, a charity that gathers surplus food from supermarkets, cafes and restaurants
Irish authorities asked to investigate Microsoft over alleged unlawful data processing by IDF
Irish authorities have been formally asked to investigate Microsoft over alleged unlawful data processing by the Israeli Defense Forces.The complaint has been made by the human rights group the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) to the Data Protection Commission, which has legal responsibility in Europe for overseeing all data processing in the European Union.It follows revelations in August by the Guardian with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew outlet Local Call that a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls was being stored on Microsoft’s cloud service, Azure, as part of a mass surveillance operation by the Israeli military.The ICCL alleges that the processing of the personal data “facilitated war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by Israeli military”. Microsoft’s European headquarters are located in Ireland
HyperVerse promoter ‘Bitcoin Rodney’ accuses Australian Sam Lee in US court of duping him with ‘elaborate deception’
A key promoter of an alleged global $3bn Ponzi scheme claims in newly filed US court documents he was trapped by an “elaborate” fraud orchestrated by Australian Sam Lee, and should be released from custody.Rodney Burton – known as Bitcoin Rodney – was charged in the US in early 2024 for his alleged part in the HyperVerse scheme, which swept the globe from 2020 and allegedly defrauded investors of US$1.89bn (A$2.9bn at current rates).Burton’s lavish lifestyle was regularly flaunted in his promotional videos, including his fleet of luxury cars and branded Lamborghini, diamond-encrusted watches and meals of steak and sausages enrobed with real gold
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly out for two to four weeks with calf strain
Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to miss around two to four weeks with a right calf strain, according to an ESPN report.The injury occurred less than three minutes into Wednesday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons. Antetokounmpo collapsed without contact as he tried to get back on defense and immediately reached for his lower right leg.Teammates helped him to his feet, and he walked gingerly to the bench before heading to the locker room.Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game that preliminary imaging ruled out an achilles injury, easing initial concerns
New recipe for success required to stop France’s grands chefs dominating the Champions Cup
Since 2021, five successive Top 14 sides have have been crowned Champions Cup winners and any team looking to challenge that status quo needs a fast startThere was a time when the European Cup had an overwhelmingly Irish flavour. The organisers’ headquarters were in Dublin and between 2006 and 2012 either Munster or Leinster lifted the trophy five times in seven seasons. Everyone else was forced to scrabble around for the last few Tayto crisps in the bag.And now? The tournament, officially known these days as the Investec Champions Cup, has tilted so far towards France you can practically smell the garlic. Admittedly its HQ is now in Switzerland for tax reasons but, financially and on the field, the balance of power lies squarely with les grands chefs of the Top 14
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