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The leading doctors' union has raised an alarm against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the ongoing flu outbreak, as its members vote on if they should proceed with scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Government Concerns

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

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "downplaying" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "should not 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," a letter from the union stated.

Industrial Action Ballot and Potential Timeline

The result of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. If it is rejected, a industrial action lasting five days will commence on Wednesday.

The government says its deal includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize training expenses.

However, the deal omits a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Deal

In a release, 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 union has also written to 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."

Government Reaction and Flu Statistics

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 taken up an offer to push the strike back 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 come early this winter. Approximately 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the greatest for this time of year on record in 2021.

However, these records start from 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could handle 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 avert Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute completely.