Operations at Basildon and Southend hospitals are being cancelled as the flu bug continues to take its toll on health services.

The record numbers of seriously ill patients over Christmas and the millennium show no signs of abating as the epidemic sweeps across the country.

On Wednesday 51 patients were admitted as emergency cases into Basildon out of 172 who attended the A and E department. Pat Trinnaman, head of communications, said of 74 patients booked in for operations this week, so far only 37 had gone ahead.

She said: "We looked to see who was clinically urgent and are reasonably confident we have only cancelled people who can wait."

Ms Trinnaman added: "Last week we were seeing a lot of people with chronic heart and chest conditions, but the pendulum has swung over the last few days and it is now pure flu."

The one bright point is that attendances at Accident and Emergency have fallen as the public heed advice on how to manage their symptoms themselves. Wednesday also saw one bed unoccupied in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Ms Trinnaman said at least one patient's routine surgery had been postponed because it was known he would need an intensive care bed afterwards.

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