This post was originally published on this site.
Hospitals across the UK are seeing high levels of flu cases this winter.
The NHS in England has said it is on “on high alert” after seeing the highest ever number of flu cases in hospital for this time of year, in the week ending 14 December.
You can use our tool below to find out how many flu patients there are in hospitals near you.
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Figures relating to flu cases in hospitals are collected in different ways in each UK nation.
In England it is the weekly number of beds occupied by patients with a laboratory confirmed flu case.
This data is provided at NHS Trust level. Trusts are organisations which include hospitals, community services and providers of other forms of patient care. You can find which trust your local hospital belongs to on the NHS England website.
In Scotland the figures relate to the number of patients admitted to hospital with a laboratory confirmed flu case taken between 14 days before the admission date and 48 hours after the admission date.
In Wales it is the weekly number of patients in hospital with a laboratory confirmed flu case taken from 28 days before the admission date if tested outside of hospital, or within two days after admission.
Figures for Scotland and Wales are provided at NHS Health Board level. Health boards are responsible for all frontline healthcare services. You can find which Health Board your local services belong to on the NHS Scotland or NHS Wales websites.
In Northern Ireland the figures show the number of new flu cases admitted to hospital that were acquired outside of hospital.
This data is provided at Health and Social Care Trust level. Trusts are responsible for providing local and regional health services. You can find which trust your local hospital belongs to on the NI direct website.
