Doctor strike during flu outbreak would be ‘reckless’, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has urged resident doctors not to carry out “reckless” strikes planned for next week, saying it is “inconceivable” they could happen during a flu outbreak.

The Prime Minister said the NHS was facing its “most dangerous moment” since the coronavirus pandemic due to a surge in flu cases across the UK, and that strikes would put the health service and its patients in “grave danger”.

Doctors' union, the British Medical Association (BMA), is conducting a survey of its members to see if they are willing to call off strike action, the results of which will be published on Monday.

But if they vote no, a five-day strike by resident doctors will begin in two days, on Wednesday, December 17th.

A BMA spokesman said the Government could end the strike by addressing the issues of pay, conditions and confidence with a credible proposal.

The flu has arrived early this winter, and it looks set to be a particularly nasty season because of a new mutated version of the virus circulating, experts say.

Many people now call it the “superflu,” but it is no more serious or more difficult to treat.

An average of 2,660 patients a day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the highest ever for this time of year and a 55% increase on the week before – according to NHS England.

Flu cases are also rising in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to statistics.

Children and young people are particularly affected by the outbreak, health officials say.

I am writing to the GuardianSir Keir said strikes “shouldn't happen” and said resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, must accept an agreement to prevent a strike.

Sir Keir said that as well as the government's new offer, they had also given the BMA the option to bring forward the strikes until Christmas.

“Don't get me wrong – of course I would have preferred to see them scrapped… But in the circumstances I wanted to make sure we left no stone unturned in our efforts to protect the NHS,” he said.

The BMA said it would ask its members whether the government's proposal would be enough to call off strikes on Wednesday.

If members respond positively, they will be given time to consider the proposal in more detail and a formal follow-up referendum will be held to end the dispute completely.

The proposal aims to address the concerns of some doctors struggling to find work and provide new training places for newly qualified doctors to advance their careers.

Health Minister Wes Streeting made a similar statement. Warning strikes coupled with rising numbers of flu patients would be a “double whammy” for the NHS, Sir Keir said on Friday.

However, NHS London medical director Chris Streeter said the flu situation was “well within” what the NHS could handle and that hospitals were better prepared for major outbreaks following the Covid pandemic.