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The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls public "fearmongering" concerning the current influenza outbreak, while its members consider whether to carry out impending walkouts in England next week.

BMA Reaction to Government Concerns

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the looming "double whammy" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "diminishing" the effect of flu, Mr. Streeting "ought not to 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," correspondence from the union stated.

Strike Ballot and Potential Schedule

The result of a BMA ballot is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will commence on Wednesday.

Ministers states its deal includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize training expenses.

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

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a statement, 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 BMA has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Flu 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 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, health officials 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 since records began in 2021.

It is important to note, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the increasing figures, 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 more ready 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 call off Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute completely.