'Help us fight flu by wearing masks in hospitals'
A hospitals boss has urged both patients and visitors to wear face masks to try to stop the spread of the flu and ease the strain on the NHS.
The plea came from Nick Hulme, chief executive of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich Hospital and Colchester Hospital.
Speaking on BBC Suffolk's breakfast show, he said while trust bosses cannot insist people wear face coverings, they are "strongly recommending" it.
"It protects you and your family, and it protects the community, so it's really important we do everything we can to stop these flu numbers in their tracks," he added.
Mr Hulme said staff had been thrown "slightly off course" by the volume of patients already heading to hospital with the flu.
Earlier this month, he said more than 65 beds across both sites had been closed because of their close proximity to patients infected with flu, Covid-19 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
At the time, NHS data showed 96.46% of beds at the trust were occupied, but Mr Hulme said there were "no plans" to shut down "our elective programmes".
Mr Hulme visited both Ipswich Hospital and Colchester Hospital on Christmas Day and said he had never seen so many patients waiting for a bed.
"It was extraordinary to see the level of patients on both sites. It was much worse at Colchester but even at Ipswich there were no beds," he said.
"Traditionally, on Christmas Day, you'd walk in and there would be 100 empty beds, but the world has changed dramatically.
"But these were patients that were sick and they needed to be there, but it's about the flu really hitting us hard and earlier than it normally would do."
'Flu is life-threatening'
As well as his face mask plea, Mr Hulme also urged anyone eligible for a flu vaccine to make sure they get one.
He said: "Real flu is devastating and can be life threatening, so it is really important people access the flu jab when they can, and indeed the Covid vaccine.
"We're hoping within a week or so we will see the surge in flu go down, but we are doing everything we can."
Last week, NHS England national medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis said: "Despite record A&E demand in recent months, we want to reassure people that we are working incredibly hard to keep them safe, manage additional pressure and provide the best possible care."
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