Across the country horror stories abound about hospitals bursting at the seams because of the flu"epidemic".

In Colchester a well-thought out advance plan to cope with the influx of patients that winter inevitably brings has kept operations running smoothly.

The Gazette's Health Reporter, TANIA COCKSEDGE, spoke to the man in charge of the winter measures programme about the pressures the system is facing and how staff are coping.

Making use of private hospital and nursing home beds has been vital to keep beds free for emergency patients and tackle waiting lists at Colchester General Hospital.

A hundred patients are being referred to the private sector for surgery. While flu and the usual winter problems have put predictable pressures on the accident and emergency department and bed capacity.

Beds are continuously full and staff are working "flat out" said Norman Jones, head of operations at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust, which runs the hospital.

Specialists have seen a sharp increase in the number of people, especially the elderly and frail, admitted with respiratory problems aggravated by flu.

"A&E has been particularly busy and it has been difficult," he said.

The peak was between Boxing Day and December 28, when on one day 49 people arrived at A&E, an above average figure.

But the trust sees one of its major achievements over the holiday and "flu" period as finding space for waiting list patients. No operations were scheduled for this time, but some patients were told to be on standby if there was space for them.

From the 28th to New Year's Eve 40 waiting list in-patients were treated.

"This is because the trust recognises the need and has the commitment to waiting lists as well as emergency admissions. Some of them were urgent cancers. We will not cancel urgent cancer patients' appointments.

"So we went into New Year's Eve with 50 empty beds."

But from January 2 pressure built up again on A&E. This has not been at the expense of waiting lists patients, stressed Mr Jones, as last week 75 urgent and routine operations were carried out.

Surgery figures are almost up to normal daily levels, he said.

How has the trust dealt with this when faced with a continuous stream of people coming into accident and emergency?

Planning has been the key, said Mr Jones, as well as the hard work of Essex Ambulance, social services and GPs.

Using the private sector - the Oaks Hospital and nursing homes - is also important to meet demand. A hundred patients have are being treated at the Oaks, mainly for oral and ear, nose and throat surgery such as tonsilectomies.

"We make our commitment to our patients and it is patients first and pounds later. If the private sector has capacity and we need it the trust sees no contradiction in using them."

But it is at financial risk for the trust, he said, which already faces a £2.2 million deficit.

Mirroring the national picture, the trust's six intensive care beds have been full, and one extra has been added to the ward to cope with demand.

Unsurprisingly flu and high numbers of emergency admissions have put pressures on Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, which is bursting at the seams.

Chief executive Peter Morris said the number of patients going to accident and emergency peaked at 90 on one day of the holiday.

Approximately 70 to 80 per cent of these are suffering the affects of flu especially respiratory illnesses, said Mr Morris.

"From about Wednesday of last week the numbers stabilised a little. But on Monday we had 60 admissions and it was quite a busy day. It is too early to suggest that we have passed the peak.

"I think it would be prudent to suggest need to look at this on a day to day basis."

Admissions have been so high 20 extra beds have been set up for medical emergency cases in the day case unit.

"We had staff sickness in particular the week between Christmas and New Year, but we haven't seen a drastic reduction of staffing through sickness," he said.

He added the hospital hoped to resume non-urgent day case surgery yesterday - it hasn't carried any out for almost three weeks.

Surgeons at Broomfield Hospital were able to get to resume work on non-urgent operations last week, buton Tuesday they had to stop.

As part of millennium contingency planning hospitals cancelled non-urgent surgery over the holiday period so beds were free for emergency admissions.

But the Chelmsford hospital is still so full only emergencies can be dealt with - tackling waiting lists will have to be put on hold.

During the first week of January its accident and emergency department dealt with 919 patients, of which 415 were admitted. In the Christmas week 415 were admitted from 1,064 through the door.

Two weeks ago the hospital had a public appeal for more staff, but a spokeswoman said now staffing was at "safe and proper levels."

The hospital has created some extra bed space by making ward B11 operate seven days instead of seven.

But the ward it decided to controversially close late last year, remains empty, and there are no plans to re-open it. The 10 intensive care beds are continually full, and one patient had to be transferred to King's Lynn due to a lack of space.

Essex hospitals have praised the efforts of staff over the busy period, many of who have struggled into work while fighting flu and colds.

A letter to staff from bosses at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust said hospitals would have ground to a halt if staff had taken up the advice given to the public to stay in bed if they got flu.

They said the efforts of staff helped the trust to cope with pressures better than many others. Norman Jones said: "We have got fantastic staff show have worked very hard."

A spokeswoman for Broomfield Hospital said: "We are very busy but we are coping and can't pay enough tribute to to staff for their hard work over what is an extremely busy period.

"We have written to all staff to thank them for their continued efforts."

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