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The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members consider the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England next week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Concerns

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

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" the severity 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," a letter from the union stated.

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Timeline

The result of a union vote is scheduled for Monday. If it is rejected, a industrial action lasting five days will commence on Wednesday.

Ministers says its deal includes legislation that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs professional development costs.

However, the deal omits a wage hike. The Prime Minister has commented that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Attention on a Solution

In a announcement, 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 union has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Response and Influenza Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "perhaps the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't accepted 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."

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 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 more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute completely.