🔗 Share this article

The leading doctors' union has raised an alarm against what it calls public "scaremongering" about the current flu outbreak, while its members consider if they should proceed with scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the looming "double whammy" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "downplaying" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid 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 noted.

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Schedule

The decision of a members' referendum is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will begin on Wednesday.

Ministers states its proposal includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to cover the costs exam fees.

However, the deal does not include a pay rise. The Prime Minister has stated that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a announcement, the BMA appealed to the health secretary to "focus his time and attention 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, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Response and Influenza 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 accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

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

Concerning the flu outbreak, health officials 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 since records began 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 medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "under control" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on ending the dispute completely.