Scotland hit hard by ‘extraordinary’ surge in flu cases, says Health Secretary

NHS services in Scotland are holding up well, despite an “extraordinary” surge in flu cases, Health Secretary Neil Gray has told MSPs.

Mr Gray said there was “no doubt Scotland has been hit hard by flu this winter” adding there had been more than 1,500 people admitted to hospital in the last week because of the virus.

This total, he said, surpassed the “peak of around 1,400 admissions” that hospitals had to deal with in the winter of 2022-23, when the flu virus was widespread across the UK.

Updating MSPs at Holyrood on how the NHS is coping with winter pressures, Mr Gray said the “very high levels” of flu “puts inevitable strain on the system”.

He cited Public Health Scotland data as showing that “we have seen over 1,500 influenza-related hospital admissions in the latest week”.

The Health Secretary also said while flu numbers are continuing to rise, “the rate of increase appears to have slowed”.

Speaking about the “impact of peak winter demand” on the health service, he said it “is traditionally a challenging period of the year, and this year has been no different”.

The Health Secretary continued: “In particular, the NHS continues to see significant numbers of cases of influenza A, which have been, and remain, very high.

But he insisted the NHS has “been able to respond to what I believe to be unprecedented levels of flu in recent years” – with Mr Gray adding that by December 15 2024 the health service had vaccinated 1.2 million adults in Scotland against the disease.

Tory health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said, however, that the number being vaccinated was down on last year.

Describing flu as a “serious and potentially fatal illness”, he said there had been “a 25% reduction in vaccinations delivered compared to last year”.

Highlighting the pressure on the NHS, Dr Gulhane, who is a GP as well as an MSP, said that “some desperate people calling NHS 24 had to wait over four hours” for help, with more than 100,000 calls to the helpline “abandoned due to waiting too long”.

Labour health spokesperson Dame Jackie Baillie also pressed the Health Secretary, saying: “Winter has barely begun and we are seeing real pressure on the system, with ambulances routinely queuing up outside hospitals.”

Mr Gray thanked ambulance staff for “their sacrifice and devotion to their task”, praising them for “staying at work beyond the end of their shift as they wait to turn around at hospitals”.

He also spoke of his “regret that anyone seeking care has to wait longer than necessary to receive it”, with the Health Secretary adding: “I have no doubt that this has happened over this difficult period.”

But Mr Gray said: “At this point, thanks to the robust preparation and the dedication and hard work of staff across the NHS and social care, our services continue to hold up well in the face of these additional pressures.”

He thanked all those working in health and social care for “their immense efforts over the busy festive period” adding that “every part of our health service has gone above and beyond to serve the country during the hardest months of the year”.

But Dr Gulhane said afterwards: “Neil Gray is kidding himself if he thinks anything in his winter NHS plan has been successful.

“Thousands of patients are waiting far too long each week at A&E to be seen and hospitals were left completely unprepared for the flu outbreak we are currently suffering.

“His shameless spin on vaccination numbers failed to recognise that the numbers who have taken it up has fallen by a quarter compared to last year.

“Rural Scotland in particular are bearing the brunt of the SNP’s inaction with frontline services, including GP practices closing at an alarming rate in these areas.

“November’s A&E waiting times were the worst ever for that month since the SNP came to power in 2007 and despite their insistence that NHS 24 is working, over 100,000 people abandoned their calls to it last year.

“Neil Gray is out of touch with the reality facing suffering patients and dedicated staff and our NHS is on life support as a result.”