Flu and norovirus continue to put pressure on hospitals in the South West, with the numbers of patients and beds rising again last week.

For the seven days to Sunday 11 January:

• An average of 262 people a day were in hospital with flu, some in critical care, compared to 252 the week before
• An average of 136 beds a day were closed to admissions because of norovirus or similar symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting, compared to 129 the week before

While flu cases in the community are dropping slightly, the UK Health Security Agency warns that norovirus continues to surge, with cases 47% higher in the first two weeks of the year than at the same time in 2025.

NHS England’s South West Medical Director, Dr Trevor Smith, said: “Norovirus and similar stomach bugs can be a real threat to hospital patients, so please don’t go in to visit your loved ones when you’ve had diarrhoea or vomiting in the past 48 hours. You might end up giving them more than they’d bargained for.

“It’s simple things like this that can help keep our hospitals working well, at a time when large numbers of patients are coming through the door with serious illnesses and injuries.”

There is more information here on how people can help while the NHS is under pressure this winter.