In response to an enquiry from The i Paper today (Tuesday, 24 December) about pressures on hospitals over the festive period, Dr Nick Murch, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “There is sustained pressure on the health service and no signs of a lull in pressure we may have seen in past years over the Christmas period.
“As outlined in recent weeks, we are seeing rising cases of flu, Covid, norovirus and RSV and the warmer weather we are experiencing may exacerbate the viruses in circulation further.
“This is prior to the challenges we know we will face in the coming weeks, which means there will again be no let up for staff who have been working tirelessly all year round in the face of unrelenting pressure.
“We would like to thank all healthcare staff working over the festive period to ensure others can enjoy a break before we embark on the daunting months ahead.”
Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of SAM, was also interviewed by Sky News on this issue.