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The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" regarding the current flu outbreak, while its members vote on whether to carry out planned strikes in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Concerns

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "deeply concerned" about the looming "one-two punch" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming junior doctor strikes.

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

Strike Ballot and Possible Timeline

The decision of a union vote is expected on Monday. If it is rejected, a industrial action lasting five days will begin on Wednesday.

The government says its proposal includes laws that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to pay for professional development costs.

However, the deal does not include a wage hike. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Deal

In a statement, the BMA urged 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 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 "uphold safe patient care."

Political Response and Influenza Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "perhaps the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't taken up an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Mirroring 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."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts note it has arrived sooner than usual this winter. An average of 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 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 handle 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 vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on ending the dispute for good.