• Latest swine flu victim was 38-year-old father-of-four
• 27 flu deaths so far this winter – 24 were from swine flu

Anthony Jones, 38, is the latest victim of swine flu. the father-of-four was described as a loving family man by his wife

A father of four from Skelsmerdale in Lancashire is the latest victim of the H1N1 strain of flu.

Anthony Jones, 38, died at Southport Hospital after contracting the virus.

Hehad been taken to hospital after collapsing at his home on November 27.

Family members were initially told Anthony had pneumonia, but doctors confirmed four days later that he had swine flu and he died on December 2.

His death comes as the UK’s Health Protection Agency confirmed nine children and 18 adults have died from flu so far this winter – 10 more than last week.

Twenty-four of the victims had the ‘swine flu’ strain.

Mr Jones’ widow Sara said her family were shocked following her husband’s sudden death.

Sara,41, said: ‘I had been with Tony for more than 20 years. He was my soulmate. we were so close, we even used to finish each others sentences.

‘We did everything together so it is so strange not to have him around.

‘He was a big family man and loved his children dearly.’

She added: ‘Tony was an agoraphobic and had been house-bound for a number of years. the last time he left the house was three months ago soI just don’t know how he got swine flu.

‘Neither me nor the children have had any symptoms so I’m just so confused about how he got it.

‘I don’t know why it took so long for the hospital to diagnose it, but I can’t fault the care he received.’

Spreading fast: Cases of the flu have doubled in the past week, with 17 people dying from the illness

Mrs Jones said she and her children Michael, 22, Paul, 20, Natasha, 18 and Nicole, 14 all had the flu jab after Anthony’s death.

‘Anyone can contract swine flu and I think this should be widely known,’ she said.

The Health Protection Agency said almost half of those who have died were in an ‘at risk’ group, meaning they were eligible for a free vaccination.

However, just one of the 22 people who died (and whose vaccination status was known) had received the most up-to-date flu vaccine.

The numbers in at-risk groups getting vaccinated ‘continues to remain low’ across England, the HPA said in a statement.

Some 43 per cent of at-risk groups under the age of 65 have had the jab, compared 68.5 per cent of over-65s.

Figures out yesterday showed rates of flu infection have more than doubled in the last week.

Cases of flu have risen to 87.1 per 100,000 people, from 32.8 in the previous week, according to England and Wales data from the Royal College of GPs.

More than 300 patients are fighting for their lives in intensive care, the vast majority suffering from swine flu.

Despite the growing flu crisis, ministers and leading doctors insist the outbreak is ‘no worse than usual’.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, interim chief medical officer for England, said rates of flu were within the expected range for the time of year.

But Professor John Watson at the HPA, said: ‘The level of flu activity we are currently seeing is at levels often seen during the winter flu seasons, but due to the fact that H1N1 (swine flu) is one of the predominant strains circulating at the moment, we are seeing more severe illness in people under the age of 65 than we would normally expect.’

There are three strains of flu circulating this winter – swine flu or H1N1, influenza B and H2N3.

Experts say swine flu is far more prevalent than the other two strains, and is proving more deadly. 

Children aged five to 14 are the worst affected, followed by those under four, according to the Royal College of GPs.

Over the last few days the number of calls to NHS Direct has soaredby 50 per cent and senior nurses say the helpline is ‘at breakingpoint’.

Last weekend up to 46,000 people called the service, the equivalent of almost 960 an hour.

Callersare categorised as Priority 1, 2 or 3, depending on the severity of theillness, and are then called back by a nurse who advises them ontreatment.

Last week a third of ‘Priority 3’ callers – includingthose with swine flu or norovirus, the ‘winter vomiting bug’ – waitedlonger than two hours for a call back, and for some the delay was aslong as two days.

Up to 40 per cent of ‘Priority 2’ callers, such as those with broken bones, waited longer than an hour before speaking to a nurse.

Even the most urgent cases – including suicidal patients or parents fearing their baby has meningitis – are being forced to wait longer than 20 minutes to speak to a nurse.

Managers are urgently trying to recruit more workers and staff are being hauled in on their days off or from their Christmas holidays to help man the phones.

Staff are being asked to take calls from home and are also being encouraged not to take allocated breaks.

One senior nurse told the Mail: ‘This is by far the worst it has ever been. People have not been receiving call backs for 48 hours – it’s appalling.

‘I am concerned about the way the public are being treated. They are not getting the support they need. When they call us about themselves or a relative, they want to speak to someone quickly, not two days later.’

Stretched to the limit: According to sources, some patients are having to wait two days before getting a response from NHS Direct (posed by models)

She said the nurses were being put under increasing strain and were expected to take ‘call after call without a break’.

Although NHS Direct insists that 99 per cent of the most urgent ‘Priority 1’ cases are getting through to a nurse within the target time of 20 minutes, staff admit that increasing numbers are being forced to wait longer.

The senior nurse added: ‘sometimes there are 30 Priority 1 cases backing up. It is very stressful.’

Last week there were 5,675 more calls to NHS Direct compared with the same week last year.

Up to 40 per cent of staff at NHS Direct are qualified nurses and the remainder are operators who have undergone a small amount of training in handling calls and offering advice.

Nick Chapman, NHS Direct chief executive, said: ‘we apologise if people have had to wait longer than expected to receive a call back from us at this busy time.’

He blamed the increase of calls on the cold snap as people were more reluctant to leave home to consult their doctor.

However, he told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: ‘We are not at breaking point. we continue to deal with large numbers of patients to give them advice. we are providing a good service, not as good as we would like, despite the efforts of our staff.’

But he conceded: ‘NHS Direct is extremely busy at this time of year, and last weekend the telephone service received 50 per cent more calls than forecast.

‘We find that is very difficult to cope with.’