Flu-hit NHS 'can cope' with doctors strike

The NHS in the Midlands has said it is able to cope with the double-whammy of a doctors strike and a larger-than-normal flu outbreak.

Resident doctors in England are due to begin a five-day strike on Wednesday, their 14th since March 2023.

At the same time, NHS England figures show a 69% increase in flu cases across the West Midlands.

Dr Jessica Sokolov, Midlands medical director for NHS England, said: "The NHS is a very flexible organisation and we will manage this."

The British Medical Association argues that despite pay rises, resident doctors, who used to be known as junior doctor, earn a fifth less than they did in 2008, once inflation is taken into account.

Its members have gone on strike in search of a better deal, but the health secretary Wes Streeting said the pay demands were "fantasy".

Dr Sokolov said there were 3,360 flu patients in acute and community hospitals in the West Midlands at the moment, compared to 2,345 at the beginning of December, which was "more than we would normally expect at this time of year".

The increasing number of cases has caused a number of trusts around the country to declare critical incidents, including University Hospitals Birmingham and University Hospitals North Midlands.

Dr Sokolov said there were always pressures at this time of year because of winter illnesses, staff sickness and staff annual leave, but the strike action would be an additional one.

"I am concerned, but I am confident it will be managed," she said. "I know the staff in the NHS will do everything they can."

She also said she did not want patients staying away if they needed help and said her message was: "If you need the NHS to help you, please attend."

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