The number of flu patients in hospital has hit a record high in England for this time of year with NHS leaders warning the country is facing an unprecedented flu season.NHS figures show there were an average of 1,700 patients in hospital with flu last week – that is more than 50% higher than the same time last year – and early indications from this week are that hospitalisations have continued climbing sharply since.It comes as the flu season hit a month earlier than normal this year, with experts warning there appears to be a more severe strain of the virus circulating.England’s chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty has warned the NHS must take diseases like pneumonia and flu in older people much more seriously to save lives. Meanwhile, NHS bosses are urging patients not to clog up A&E with everyday niggles as new figures show thousands turned to hospitals for minor ailments such as hiccups and ingrowing toenails last winter.There were more than 200,000 A&E attendances in England from November to February for conditions that could have been dealt with elsewhere, according to NHS England.This represents more than 2% of all attendances during that four-month period, taking up vital resources at under-pressure A&Es, health bosses said.Patients with such minor conditions are being advised to seek help elsewhere, including from pharmacists, GPs and NHS 111 – either via the phone or online – as some of them can be managed at home.NHS England urgent and emergency care director Prof J …
