🔗 Share this article

The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls public "scaremongering" concerning the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members decide on whether to carry out planned strikes in England next week.

BMA Response to Government Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "deeply concerned" about the potential "combined impact" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming junior doctor strikes.

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

"In our role as physicians, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," a letter from the union declared.

Strike Vote and Potential Schedule

The outcome of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

The government argues its deal includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs exam fees.

But, the deal does not include a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Deal

In a release, the BMA called on the health secretary to "devote his efforts 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 contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Political Response and Influenza Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "perhaps 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.

Echoing the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

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

It is important to note, 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 "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a detailed vote would be held on ending the dispute for good.