SALISBURY NHS Trust has seen a drop in hospital admissions for people over the age of 65 between August and December over the past three years.

This bucks the national trend, as cuts to winter fuel payments and the rising number of flu cases have seen NHS trusts see more elderly patients admitted to hospitals with cold-related illnesses.

Figures obtained by Legal Expert show that Salisbury has seen a positive drop in admissions every year since 2022.

In 2022, the number of elderly patients who were admitted to the trust with a cold-related illness between August and December stood at 1,184.

A year later, this number decreased to 1,160, which is the second-lowest number of hospital admissions over the three years.

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The past year has seen another drop in over 65 admissions, standing at 904.

Legal Expert also obtained the figures for over 65 admissions at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust for specific cold-related illnesses over the past three years, with a drop in the number of elderly patients suffering from pneumonia, chest infections and hypothermia.

Figures from Legal Expert show there have been 3,248 admissions for elderly patients who have been treated for health problems, including influenza, hypothermia, pneumonia, chest infections and bronchitis.

According to the NHS, trusts across the country experienced the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance services last year, as flu continues to pile pressure on hospitals into 2025.

Salisbury over 65 cold illnesses Picture: Legal Expert

In the first week of January, there was an average of 5,408 patients a day in hospital, including 256 in critical care, which is three and a half times higher than the same week last year.

As a result, several trusts declared critical incidents, citing exceptional demand caused by the colder weather and respiratory viruses.

Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said: “These latest figures show the pressure from flu was nowhere near letting up before we headed into the New Year, skyrocketing to over 5,000 cases a day in hospital and rising at a very concerning rate.”

The weekly hospital admission rates for older people with respiratory viruses have risen sharply since October 2024, leaping from 0.3 per 100,000 patients on October 14 to 2.92 on November 25 for the 65-74 age group.

During the same period, the number of patients in the 75-84 age group rose from 0.5 to 5.95 per 100,000 (almost 12 times as many).

Salisbury over 65 admissions Picture: Legal Expert

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Adrian Boyle, head of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “What we are seeing is ambulances are frequently stuck outside emergency departments, and our emergency departments are full.”

“Flu is the straw that is breaking the camel’s back – because we have this chronic lack of beds within our hospitals, and we don’t use those beds properly because we haven’t reformed social care.”

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