The British Medical Association Admonishes Against Influenza 'Fearmongering' Prior to Scheduled Physician Walkouts
The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" concerning the current influenza outbreak, while its members vote on the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.
BMA Response to Ministerial Concerns
This comes 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 approaching resident doctor strikes.
The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "minimizing" the impact of flu, Mr. Streeting "ought not to 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.
Industrial Action Ballot and Possible Schedule
The outcome of a BMA ballot is due on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will begin on Wednesday.
Ministers says its deal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to subsidize professional development costs.
Yet, the deal does not include a salary increase. Sir Keir Starmer has written 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 appealed to 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, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."
Government Response and Influenza Data
In an interview with 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 accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.
Echoing the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most vulnerable moment since the pandemic."
Regarding 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 greatest for this time of year on record in 2021.
However, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.
Despite 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 more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.
The union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute for good.
