Rise in number of people with flu symptoms admitted to hospital over Christmas

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Teams across NHS Tayside and the three local Health and Social Care Partnerships have pulled together over a busy festive period to deliver care to people throughout the region.

Health and care teams across the system saw a rise in patients with flu-like and seasonal illnesses, which led to more admissions into the area’s hospitals over Christmas and New Year.

The GP and Primary Care Out of Hours service had more than 5570 contacts with patients through face-to-face appointments, home visits and advice calls, with 2905 during the Christmas week (December 24-29) and 2670 over New Year (December 31 - January 5).

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This was a 57% increase in patient contacts over the Christmas period and a 40% increase over the New Year period compared to 2023/24.

More than 2700 people attended the Emergency Departments. (Wikipedia)More than 2700 people attended the Emergency Departments. (Wikipedia)
More than 2700 people attended the Emergency Departments. (Wikipedia)

It was also an extremely busy time for staff in Emergency Departments and Acute Medical Unit, as well as across all inpatient wards in Ninewells and Perth Royal Infirmary over the same periods. More than 2700 people attended the Emergency Departments during these dates, and there were 1922 emergency inpatient admissions.

The Health and Social Care Partnerships in Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross played a key role by providing care in the community and making sure patients were safely discharged home or to an appropriate community setting when they were assessed as ready to leave hospital.

NHS Tayside Executive Nurse Director Simon Dunn praised the efforts of staff throughout the festive period.

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He said: “Our incredible teams have worked extremely hard and I would like to sincerely thank all of our amazing staff in NHS Tayside, the Health and Social Care partnerships in Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross, and colleagues in the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS 24. They have all stepped up and played a vital role to help us deliver care and treatment for the people of Tayside.

“Members of the public can continue to support our teams by knowing the right place to go for different health needs. You can visit www.keepwellinwinter.scot.nhs.uk for lots of useful advice.”

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