NHS England said 97,636 beds were occupied in the week ending 12 January, with 96% of adult general and acute hospital beds filled.

Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting said: ‘Despite NHS staff doing their level best, the experiences of patients this winter are unacceptable. Annual winter pressures, which will always exist, should not automatically lead to an annual winter crisis.

‘It will take time to turn the health service around so patients receive the standards of care they deserve, but it can be done. Through our Plan for Change this Government is making the investment and fundamental reform needed to make sure the NHS can be there for us when we need it, once again.'

The data revealed one in seven hospital beds (13,585) were taken up with patients fit to be discharged.

While flu cases are down from their peak, Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, warned ‘hospitals are not out of the woods yet'.

Flu rates were three-and-a-half times higher than last year with 4,929 patients in hospital on average each day last week. There were also 1,112 patients each day with Covid on average and 650 norovirus patients, up 4% on the previous week and up 44% on last year, as well as almost double the number of children in hospital with RSV compared with the same week last year (52 vs 27).

Amid the high levels of demand, the NHS has opened 1,000 more beds compared to same week last year (103,847 vs 102,784 last year), and despite the huge pressure, time lost to ambulance handovers was down almost 40% on the week before (29,956 vs 49,002).

Ahead of winter, the NHS put in place measures to manage extra demand, including upgraded 24 hour co-ordination centres, support for frequent users of A&E services, strengthening same day emergency care and providing more care in the community. NHS teams have also delivered 29m flu, Covid and RSV vaccines.

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Tim Gardner, assistant director of Policy at the Health Foundation, said: ‘The root cause of long delays in and outside of A&E departments is that hospitals were already close to gridlock, even before the expected surges in demand from flu and other viruses.

‘Flu may have already cost the NHS nearly 170,000 bed days so far this winter, but more than three times as many were lost to delayed discharges in the same period.  This is partly due to problems arranging suitable social care and other community-based services and highlights the need for action right across the health and care system.'

Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said: ‘It is too early to say if winter virus levels have peaked, and it is likely that the health service will continue to be under pressure for weeks to come. It is essential that we make sure the NHS does not face more winters like the last few. Improving emergency care performance requires an equal focus to tackling waiting lists, and we look forward to working with the government to address these issues.'

Isabel Lawicka, director of policy and strategy, NHS Providers, said: ‘Hospital wards and beds are chock-a-block and the number of people with winter viruses remains exceptionally high.

‘Safety and dignity of patients is paramount. Relentless pressure and demand across the whole NHS including hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services does mean that sometimes staff can't attend to every patient where and as soon as they want to.

‘It's been a brutal winter for trust leaders and staff, who continue to work tirelessly to adapt to difficult circumstances.'