Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described planned strikes by resident doctors as 'frankly beyond belief', warning they would endanger patients and the NHS during a record flu outbreak. In an article for the Guardian, Starmer called on medics to call off the industrial action scheduled for 17-22 December, arguing that the health service is facing its most precarious moment since the pandemic.
Starmer's intervention came as the NHS reported an average of 2,660 hospital beds occupied daily by flu patients last week, a 55% increase on the previous week. Health Secretary Wes Streeting had earlier warned the strikes could be the 'Jenga piece' that causes the system to collapse, as hospitals cancel operations and prepare for the surge.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA resident doctors committee, accused the government of scaremongering and said the offer on the table was poor. He expressed willingness to meet Streeting 'any time' to negotiate but criticised the health secretary for failing to engage outside strike periods. The BMA said the government was 'laying the blame for the failings of the NHS to cope with an outbreak of flu at the feet of resident doctors'.
According to a YouGov poll conducted on Friday, 58% of people oppose the strikes, while a third support them. Starmer, who affirmed his belief in the right to strike, urged doctors to accept the 'good deal' on offer, saying: 'My message to doctors is simple – take it.'
