Hospitals in south Essex are battling to cope with the huge surge in patients as more people are knocked out by winter illnesses.

Both Southend and Basildon Hospitals have had their busiest Christmas and new year ever, topping even last year's record-breaking figures.

On December 30, Southend admitted an all-time high 115 emergency patients, and the accident and emergency department saw 230 patients in a single day - another record.

Between December 20 and January 4, more than 1,200 patients were admitted. The hospital had calculated it would need 210 empty beds to cope with the annual crisis - and in the event 209 were filled.

A beds shortage was averted, thanks to the newly-opened 21-bed A & E observation ward and extended opening of the medical assessment unit, which prevented unnecessary hospital admissions.

The hospital still has 75 medical patients in surgical beds and says it will be a while before it gets back to normal.

All routine surgery was stopped on December 17 to ensure bed capacity for the holiday period.

Andrew Pike, Southend's director of operations and service development, said doctors had been working flat out to cope.

He said: "The biggest pressure has been on the intensive therapy unit, which has been full since Christmas and has had more patients than its allotted bed space.

"It is still extremely busy. It appears to be a nationwide issue."

He added there had been the usual high elderly death rate over the holiday - also in line with the rest of the country - but the additional refrigerated storage space had coped.

Chief executive David Brackenbury praised his staff for "pulling out all the stops" but warned they were not out of the woods yet.

He said: "This is just the beginning of the winter period."

Basildon Hospital has seen a 14 per cent increase in emergency admissions on last year's record-breaking tally.

Head of communications, Pat Trinnaman, said: "It has not been easy."

One day saw 238 patients attending A & E, while 84 emergencies were admitted on Christmas Eve - the equivalent of three wards.

Local GPs have been coming into A & E to treat more minor ailments, leaving hospital staff free to deal with more chronic heart and chest problems.

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