🔗 Share this article

The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" about the ongoing flu outbreak, as its members decide on if they should proceed with planned strikes in England next week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Concerns

This comes after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the potential "one-two punch" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" the effect of flu, Mr. Streeting "should not be scaremongering the public into thinking that the NHS will not be able to look after them."

"As doctors, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," a letter from the union declared.

Industrial Action Ballot and Possible Timeline

The result of a union vote is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will begin on Wednesday.

Ministers says its offer includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs training expenses.

But, the deal omits a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has commented that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Solution

In a statement, the BMA appealed to the health secretary to "concentrate on offering a deal that will stop next week's strikes going ahead, rather than making claims that strike action could cause the NHS to collapse."

The union has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Flu Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He questioned why the BMA hadn't taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts note it has come early this winter. Around 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the greatest for this time of year on record in 2021.

However, these records start from 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute completely.