A sharp rise in norovirus cases is driving Emergency Departments in England deeper into crisis, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which has criticised the government and NHS leaders for failing to adequately prepare for winter pressures.
The warning follows the latest NHS England weekly winter situation report, covering the week ending 25 January 2026, which highlights extreme strain across the system – from dangerously high bed occupancy to prolonged patient stays and escalating ambulance handover delays.
The report shows that hospital bed occupancy remains critically high at 94.6%, significantly above the level widely considered safe for patient flow. High occupancy limits hospitals’ ability to admit patients from EDs, contributing to overcrowding, delays, and worsened patient outcomes.
More than 14,000 medically fit patients remained stuck in hospital beds during the week, unable to be discharged due to a lack of suitable community or social care provision. RCEM says these “back‑door delays” are blocking capacity and fuelling pressure throughout the emergency care system.
On an average day, 50,368 patients had been in hospital for seven days or longer, a figure that RCEM says reflects systemic challenges beyond the control of frontline emergency clinicians.
The College warns that such bottlenecks create a domino effect – delaying admissions from EDs, increasing crowding, and placing severe pressure on staff.
A predictable but severe winter surge of norovirus – also known as diarrhoea and vomiting (D&V) – is further disrupting care. An average of 1,106 general and acute beds per day were occupied by patients with norovirus symptoms, 122 more than the previous week.
Norovirus outbreaks often lead to closed bays and wards, reducing bed availability and placing additional strain on an already overstretched system.
The week saw 45 patients diverted from one A\&E to another, contributing to 343 diverts so far this winter – far higher than in recent years. A divert is only implemented as a last resort, typically when an ED becomes unable to take any more patients safely.
RCEM says this level of diversion activity reflects a system “on the brink,” overwhelmed by demand and lacking the capacity needed for safe winter resilience.
Ambulance handovers showed a slight improvement compared to the previous week, yet more than one in three handovers still took 30 minutes or longer.
Delays at the hospital door mean fewer ambulances are available to respond to emergencies in the community – compounding risk at both ends of the system.
RCEM President Dr Ian Higginson commented:
“None of the pressures we are facing this winter were unexpected or surprising, and yet we are at breaking point.
“We are not being overwhelmed by unprecedented numbers of patients arriving in hospitals.
“It’s simple: not enough has been done to tackle exit block in hospitals, where patients who are medically fit to leave a bed are not discharged, through no fault of their own.
“Social care, and wrap-around services, which allow for timely discharges are in desperate need of support and resources.
“The consequence of this is patients lining the corridors of EDs in unacceptable conditions because there are no beds in wards for them to be admitted to. When this happens, they don’t get better: they get sicker.
“Congestion in the hospital system means we are simply not ready for surges in norovirus, flu, or major incidents – which we know can and will happen, particularly in winter.
“A failure to prepare properly is to prepare for failure, and that is exactly what happened ahead of this winter. We acknowledge the efforts made by NHS England, but these stats make clear it hasn’t been enough.
“Tackling patient flow must be the top priority for NHS leaders and the government, along with a credible, long-term, plan targeted at bringing down bed occupancy.
“Without this, patients, and the clinicians treating them, will continue to suffer.”
The College also says the combined pressures are creating unsafe conditions for both patients and staff, and highlights the urgent need for increased bed capacity, stronger community care pathways, and a strategic approach to winter preparedness.
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