HOSPITAL super-bug norovirus reared its head at the end of last week, according to the latest NHS winter figures.

On Sunday, ward staff were forced to isolate eight beds at the Great Western Hospital over fears that patients were infected with norovirus.

The bug, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, can create major problems on hospital wards – with poorly patients especially vulnerable to the so-called hospital “super-bug”. Often, it is brought into hospitals by visitors who are themselves battling sickness.

A spokesman for GWH reminded visitors to stay away from the wards if they were feeling poorly: “Norovirus is common at this time of year and can spread quickly in places where there are lots of people, such as hotels, restaurants, hospitals and schools.

“Under no circumstances should people visit GWH, or any other medical environment, until at least 48 hours after fully recovering from either vomiting or diarrhoea. 

“Norovirus can cause serious problems for elderly people, pregnant women and those receiving treatment for, or recovering from, other conditions which is why it’s so important for local people to support us in keeping this unpleasant seasonal bug out of hospital.”

The latest winter figures published by NHS England today, show that:

  • Last week, GWH remained busy – with on average 93.6 per cent of general and acute hospital beds filled by patients.
  • 406 patients arrived at the hospital’s emergency department by ambulance.
  • Of these, 14 patients faced delays of between 30 minutes and an hour for paramedics to hand them over to ED clinicians.
  • No patients were left waiting with paramedics for more than an hour.

Nationally, NHS hospitals continued to battle flu and norovirus outbreaks. A NHS England spokesman said: “While the number of new flu cases is now gradually declining, flu hospitalisations have continued to plateau at a high rate. 2,500 beds are currently occupied by flu patients.”

Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “As we enter the eighth week of severe and unrelenting pressure, flu rates are still high and occupancy remains well over 90% in general, with thousands of extra beds required with the staff to care for them and major delays in ambulance handovers.”