Flu patient numbers in English hospitals fall for second straight week
The number of people in hospital with flu in England has fallen for the second week in a row, NHS figures show, as England’s top doctor said the health service was “far from complacent” as a cold snap takes hold,An average of 2,676 flu patients were in hospital each day during the week ending 28 December, down 13% from 3,061 the previous week,The figure had previously been on an upwards trend, reaching 3,140 in the week ending 14 December,Last winter, weekly flu numbers for England peaked at 5,408 patients,A total of 128 flu patients were in critical care beds in England last week, up from 117 the previous week.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber and yellow cold health alerts for England as temperatures fall below freezing, which could increase the pressure on hospitals.Prof Meghana Pandit, the NHS national medical director, said: “It is welcome news to see a drop in the number of people being admitted to hospital with flu, thanks in part to the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff with more than half a million more people vaccinated against flu compared with the same period last year.“The NHS is far from complacent as temperatures drop, with this likely to increase pressures in the new year, and demand on services remaining high with NHS 111 services recording their second busiest day in two years on Saturday.”Health charities issued similar warnings about the cold snap.Ruth Goss, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Cold temperatures can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and people with cardiovascular disease are also more at risk of serious illness if they get seasonal respiratory infections like flu.
“It’s especially important that people living with heart conditions are well-prepared for the cold snap this winter by wrapping up warm and having their free flu jab.”Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, said: “The plummeting temperatures, ice and snow we are now seeing are hazardous for older people, especially if they are living with serious health conditions or are generally frail.We urge anyone in this situation to take extra care of themselves and the general public to look out for any older person they know who could do with some extra support.The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “In spite of all of the challenges the NHS faces this winter, the herculean efforts of NHS staff and our investment and modernisation mean that hospital bed occupancy is lower than this time last year and ambulance handover performance is improving.“But we still face intense pressures, and with this bitingly cold snap adding additional challenges it is more vital than ever those eligible get their flu jab and people only attend A&E in an emergency.
Let’s all join NHS staff in doing everything we can to protect ourselves and our families through a difficult winter so NHS services are free for those who really need them.”An average of 284 hospital beds were filled each day last week by patients with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms.This was broadly unchanged on the previous week’s average of 285 patients and well below the figure of 427 patients a fortnight ago.The data has been published in the latest weekly snapshot of the performance of hospitals in England this winter.The NHS situation report also shows that 18% of patients arriving by ambulance at hospitals in England last week waited at least 30 minutes to be handed over to A&E teams.
This was down from 22% the previous week and is the lowest figure so far this winter.Four per cent of ambulance handovers last week, or 3,359 patients, were delayed by more than an hour, down from 5% the previous week and also the lowest level so far this winter.
Emma Raducanu ruled out of United Cup opener in false start to new season
Emma Raducanu remains hopeful she will be able to compete this week at the United Cup after her 2026 season began with a concerning false start when she was forced to withdraw from her opening match in Perth because of a foot injury.Raducanu pulled out of her highly anticipated clash with Naomi Osaka only an hour before play got under way but the Great Britain team admirably battled hard in the searing heat and emerged from a tough day with a solid 2-1 win over Japan.Billy Harris, who played in the absence of the British men’s No 1, Jack Draper, opened the tie by defeating Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6 (4), 6-3. Raducanu was replaced by Katie Swan, who performed well against a much higher-ranked opponent before losing 7-6 (4), 6-1 to Osaka. In the decisive rubber, Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls used their doubles expertise to seal the tie with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 win over Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama
England big guns cut loose to highlight folly of Australia’s bowling choices | Geoff Lemon
In the end, it was a relief. Not to say that a lot of Australians would exactly have been tuning into the Sydney Ashes Test hoping to hear that England were doing well, but at least seeing a couple of sessions yield a score of 211 for three felt normal. The run rate was trending towards the adventurous, but it was a day within the accepted frame, and that is a template that not many days in this series have been able to match.In the context of this current England team, a fast opening stand of 35 from 40 balls was normal. The wickets of both openers in quick succession to follow was normal
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One down. Devilish gamble on Aussie plonk (5, 7)Would Douglas Jardine have cheated at the crossword? No he would not. Or rather he would, but only in a way that still technically complied with the current rules of crosswords, while also causing a violent crossword-based diplomatic incident. Would Mike Brearley cheat at crosswords? No. He would instead ask the crossword why it feels it needs to be so difficult
Harry Brook urges England to make most of ‘good wicket’ after series-best score
Harry Brook may have played like a man without a care in the world en route to a freewheeling 78 not out on a rain-shortened day one of the Sydney Test, but at close of play he was reassuringly phlegmatic on the topic of his own batting output during the live part of this Ashes seres.“We’re in a very good position, three down at the end of play and hopefully we can make the most of that going into tomorrow,” Brook said. “When I first went in it felt like the bounce was fairly steep, but then it started to get a little bit lower and slower and it just generally feels like a good wicket out there.”Brook and Joe Root shared an unbroken 154-run partnership to leave England in a rare position of strength and Brook with his highest score of the series. The post-lunch session in particular was a gripping spectacle as Australia bowled short at Brook and he alternated between skewing a series of pulls and carves up in the air, and nailing the odd one for four or six
Root and Brook star for England before storm halts Ashes charge against Australia
As the rain fell on the Sydney Cricket Ground, cutting the opening day of this fifth Ashes Test into exactly half the number of allotted overs, you could practically hear the champagne corks being popped in the Cricket Australia offices. Perhaps the groundsman’s hut also.The huge losses incurred by the two-dayers in Perth and Melbourne put CA and the SCG on red alert as regards a repeat. Unless something absurd were to happen on the second day – England had reached 211 for three when play was abandoned at 5pm on the first – this series finale should last a fair bit longer.Another cause for administrative optimism was the ease with which Joe Root and Harry Brook built an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 154 runs
England reach 211-3 against Australia on day one of fifth Ashes Test – as it happened
Alex Carey is calling this SCG wicket “a decent track” and reckons good weather on days 2-5 will see a result. That rain storm has passed over Sydney’s north and strong winds are now clearing the clouds at the SCG so there’s still a chance of more cricket this afternoon.Ali Martin reports on what turned into half a day of action to begin the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG.That’s stumps on day one of the fifth Test. England won the day
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