CASES of hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses such as influenza, pneumonia or chest infections has risen in elderly people in Cornwall.

It has led to calls from experts for the government to address the ‘chronic lack of beds’ seen in hospitals available to deal with winter viruses.

In the past three years, a Cornwall NHS Trust has logged over 10,000 hospital admissions for people over the age of 65 who have cold-related sicknesses such as influenza and pneumonia.

Legal Expert obtained figures showing that there have been 10,622 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 have experienced the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance services last year, as flu continues to pile pressure on hospitals into 2025.

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.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute care and specialist health services across three main hospitals. Royal Cornwall Hospital, West Cornwall Hospital, and St Michael's Hospital.

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.”

While rising numbers of influenza and hypothermia are not a direct result of the government cuts to winter fuel payments, those over the age of 65 who were impacted the most have been admitted to hospitals more and more.

In 2022, the number of elderly patients who were admitted to Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust with a cold-related illness stood at 3,119.

A year later, this number increased to 3,751, which is the second-highest number of hospital admissions over the three years.

The past year has seen another rise in over 65 admissions, standing at 3,752.

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 people.

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."