Supporting the NHS through an unprecedented winter

New NHS England figures confirm what many frontline teams have already witnessed: this winter has arrived early and with exceptional intensity. More than 1,700 people with flu are now in hospital beds each day - a 56% increase on the same week last year and more than ten times the number seen in 2023.

National leaders have warned of an “unprecedented flu wave”, with no clear sign of a peak. This comes on top of sustained system pressures, workforce challenges, industrial action and high demand across urgent and emergency care. Many hospitals are operating at, or very close to, full capacity, even before winter traditionally reaches its peak.

In this context, supporting staff, protecting capacity and acting earlier to prevent deterioration have never been more important.

Seeing the whole patient instantly

When emergency departments fill rapidly, clinicians must triage and treat patients swiftly and safely. Integrated Shared Care Records give teams immediate access to a patient’s complete medical history - including GP, acute, community and social care data.

This is especially important for people most vulnerable to severe flu complications, such as those with diabetes, respiratory disease or frailty. A complete view enables faster decisions, clearer prioritisation and more personalised care.

Across the country, our NHS customers’ Shared Care Records are now connecting information for more than 20 million people, supporting coordinated decision-making at times of significant operational pressure.

Acting earlier to prevent avoidable admissions

While many winter admissions are unavoidable, more proactive support in the community can reduce others. Graphnet customer sites have demonstrated how remote monitoring programmes are helping clinicians intervene earlier, preventing deterioration and reducing reliance on urgent care.

A compelling example comes from Frimley Health and Care ICS, where early analysis of its large-scale remote monitoring programme found:

•    A&E attendances reduced by 38.6%
•    Hospital admissions reduced by 53.7%
•    Outpatient appointments reduced by 26.7%
•    with additional reductions in GP contacts, 999 calls and 111 calls

These results were achieved by monitoring thousands of at-risk patients and intervening sooner, often before symptoms escalated to a point requiring hospital care. This model shows how digitally enabled, proactive support can contribute meaningfully to easing winter pressures.

Digital pathways also help teams identify and respond earlier to respiratory illness in children - a group seeing rising rates of bronchiolitis and viral wheeze this winter. In Cheshire and Merseyside, population health tools have been used to flag children at higher risk of respiratory deterioration, enabling earlier outreach from community and paediatric teams. The region has also used integrated data to track spikes in viral activity and coordinate support across primary, community and urgent care services, helping clinicians intervene sooner and keep more children safely at home.

Learning from COVID-19: proactive care saves lives

The pressures of this winter echo aspects of COVID-19, when rapid deterioration from respiratory illness was a major challenge. During the pandemic, ICSs using Graphnet’s Shared Care Record and remote monitoring tools saw a 42% reduction in mortality among shielded high-risk patients compared with similar cohorts not enrolled.

This demonstrated the impact of integrated data and early warning models - lessons that remain highly relevant as the NHS faces another period of intense respiratory demand.

Protecting capacity through better flow

Hospital flow is under pressure across England. Smooth transitions depend not only on acute bed availability, but on timely discharge planning, community support and clear communication between services.

Digital tools - including shared care plans, integrated discharge information and electronic RESPECT forms - help ensure information moves with the patient. This reduces delays, supports rehabilitation and ensures people receive the right care in the right place.

Understanding pressure - and risk - in real time

Population health insights give systems early visibility of rising viral activity, emerging pressures and at-risk groups. These tools help ICSs anticipate demand, plan capacity and target interventions more effectively.

This year’s unusually early and severe flu wave highlights the value of real-time intelligence in shaping proactive system responses.

Working together across health and care

This winter is testing the resilience of the whole system. Hospitals, primary care, community teams, social care and local authorities are all managing rising levels of demand, often simultaneously.

Integrated data and digital pathways help bind these services together, supporting safer, more coordinated and more responsive care during the most challenging months of the year.

Markus Bolton, Director at Graphnet Health, said:

This winter is already placing extraordinary pressure on NHS teams, and this week’s national figures show just how early and severe this flu surge has become. When demand rises at this scale, the ability for clinicians to see the full picture quickly and act earlier is essential. Integrated data, shared records and remote monitoring are playing an important role in helping systems protect capacity, support vulnerable patients and maintain safe, coordinated care across health and social care services.

Graphnet remains committed to supporting ICSs, NHS organisations and frontline teams with the digital capabilities needed to manage demand, prevent deterioration and deliver coordinated care throughout this period of unprecedented pressure.

Contact us to learn more