The NHS has been put on a “crisis footing” with hospitals in England told to free up beds after a rapid rise in UK cases of the Omicron variant, the Guardian says. In a letter to hospitals, NHS England bosses have said “patients who could be discharged to care homes, hospices, their own homes or hotels before Christmas to free up beds should be” – with the Guardian reporting that hotels are now operating as temporary care set-ups with workers flown in from Spain and Greece to relieve pressure on NHS beds.