The National Health Service (NHS) faces an imminent collapse, and patient lives are at risk if planned doctor strikes proceed next week amid a surging 'super-flu' outbreak, warned Health Secretary Wes Streeting. He expressed genuine fear for the NHS, stating that tackling the mutant flu strain presents 'probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid'. Streeting explicitly warned of 'fatal harm' to patients and criticized the British Medical Association (BMA) for scheduling strikes in December, a period they acknowledge will be 'most painful for the NHS'.

Recent figures highlight the severity of the flu crisis, with record cases for this time of year. Hospitalizations due to flu leapt by 55 percent in seven days, averaging 2,660 patients daily last week. Streeting projected this total could triple as the outbreak reaches its peak in the coming weeks.

Currently, members of the doctors’ union are voting on a government deal that could avert the planned industrial action. The BMA is demanding a 26 percent pay rise, in addition to the 28.9 percent increase received over the past two years, which is already the highest in the public sector. Should medics reject the deal, strikes are slated to occur on five consecutive days starting next Wednesday.

Speaking on LBC radio, Mr. Streeting articulated his concerns: 'The thing I’m genuinely fearful of is that, even if I throw more money at this situation now – at this time, to get through the next week on strikes, there’s only a finite number of doctors and staff.' He elaborated on the limited resources, including care-home beds and community-based care, asserting that with strikes, flu, and escalating demand, 'I just don’t think there is a lever I can pull, I don’t think there’s an amount of money that means I can... guarantee patient safety over the next week.' He described this as a 'pretty terrifying position' for both himself and NHS staff. When asked if the NHS was at 'one minute to midnight', he responded, 'Effectively, yeah.'

Streeting emphasized the danger posed by the 'particularly aggressive strain' of flu. He stated that even without strikes, he would be 'extremely worried' about the situation, and the prospect of contending with both the flu and strikes is 'dangerous,' raising extreme concern for staff pressure and, more critically, the risk to patients. In The Times, he characterized Christmas strikes as the 'Jenga piece that collapses the tower' of the NHS.

He also revealed an offer to extend the BMA’s strike mandate until February, which would have allowed the union to reschedule strikes for the new year. Streeting expressed his inability to comprehend why the BMA declined this offer, speculating that 'they know this week will be most painful for the NHS'.

Public opinion appears divided, with a YouGov poll on Friday indicating that 58 percent of people opposed the doctors’ strike, while 33 percent disagreed. The escalating health crisis has already led to practical consequences, with a school in Cornwall recently closing due to ‘unprecedented and increasing incidences’ of flu. In response to the flu surge, NHS leaders have urged people coughing and sneezing to wear masks on public transport, a precaution some train travelers are already adopting.