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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" about the present flu outbreak, as its members vote on the possibility of planned strikes in England the coming week.

Union Response to Government Worries

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "extremely worried" about the potential "one-two punch" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming resident doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" the impact 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," correspondence from the union stated.

Strike Ballot and Potential Schedule

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

The government states its deal includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for exam fees.

However, the deal omits a salary increase. The Prime Minister has written that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Deal

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 BMA has also contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Flu Data

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "perhaps the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He questioned why the BMA hadn't accepted an offer to push the strike back to January.

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

Regarding the flu outbreak, experts note it has arrived sooner than usual this winter. Around 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 only date back to 2021 and so do not include 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 cope with and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute for good.