Hospitals were today urged to screen out non-urgent cases in the event of a swine flu pandemic.

This is in response to fears that A&Es will be unable to cope with a surge in patient numbers.

New draft guidance from health chiefs advises outpatient departments to introduce a card system for use in a major outbreak. Yellow cards will be issued to anyone needing urgent treatment and who doctors have identified as “high risk”.

This means their condition is life-threatening, could shorten their life or that they are suffering from “unbearable” symptoms.

Staff will hand out blue cards to anyone who does not need an appointment. The card system would be used to organise all outpatient cases, not just for people with flu symptoms.

The document published today has been developed by the Royal College of Physicians whose 20,000 members include NHS consultants. It recommends that hospitals cancel all outpatient appointments for up to four months except for the extremely ill to minimise the spread of the virus.

NHS Direct today revealed that calls to the service on flu-related topics have risen from 88 on Sunday to 3,000 on Wednesday.

Supermarket delivery company Ocado said sales of anti-bacterial products are up by 500  per cent.

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