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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" regarding the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members consider if they should proceed with planned strikes in England the coming week.

BMA Response to Government Concerns

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the looming "combined impact" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "diminishing" 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."

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

Strike Vote and Possible Timeline

The result of a BMA ballot is scheduled for Monday. If it is rejected, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

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

However, the deal excludes a pay rise. The Prime Minister has written that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Solution

In a statement, the BMA called on 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 written to 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 "uphold safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Flu Statistics

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 taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.

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

Concerning 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 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 "within manageable limits" 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 sufficient to cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on ending the dispute entirely.