The latest NHS England figures have shown the highest number of people in hospital with flu this winter, up 11 per cent on the previous week.

Trusts have increased beds by 5,000, but 95.7 per cent of beds are occupied.

There are an average of 14,436 people each day well enough to be discharged, but remaining in hospital. This is the highest number this winter.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive, NHS Providers, said: "Health services are stretched to the limit week after week with no let-up.

"Demand for care keeps growing, especially as very cold weather and winter bugs and illnesses such as flu have affected lots of people – including NHS staff.

"NHS trusts are working flat out with wards almost full to the brim. Thanks to trusts' hard work there are now 5,000 more core beds but the high level of occupancy shows we need even more investment – not just in hospitals but in mental health, community and ambulance services too – to have enough people and resources to give patients first-class care.

"The impact of nine days of strikes by junior doctors before Christmas and in early January is still being felt. Seventy days of industrial action across the NHS since December 2022 have added to the strain on the whole system and patients having to wait even longer for the care they need is a huge concern.

"Waits for treatment were growing long before strikes and the pandemic, symptoms of years of national underinvestment in services and severe staff shortages. Today the NHS across England has more than 121,000 vacancies."