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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" about the present flu outbreak, while its members decide on the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

Union Response to Government Worries

This comes after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "double whammy" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming 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 "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," a letter from the union stated.

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Timeline

The decision of a union vote is scheduled for Monday. If it is rejected, a week-long walkout will begin on Wednesday.

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

But, the deal does not include 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 Deal

In a announcement, 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, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Data

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "probably 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.

Repeating 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 increasing figures, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" 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 enough to call off Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.