Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to restart talks with striking resident doctors in the new year. The move comes as England's NHS grapples with record flu patient numbers and the ongoing industrial action enters its second day.
The combination of the 14th round of doctor strikes since 2023 and an unprecedented early flu surge is creating an "extremely challenging winter" for the health service. New figures show an average of 3,140 flu patients occupied hospital beds daily last week, up 18% from 2,660 the previous week and the highest level ever recorded for this stage of winter.
During a visit to an ambulance station in London, Streeting acknowledged the deadlock over pay but stressed his willingness to negotiate. "I do want to end this dispute. I don't want us to be locked in a bitter dispute, and I'm never going to shut the door to talks, and I will do my best to see if we can start 2026 off on a better foot," he said.
Pay dispute remains unresolved
The British Medical Association is demanding an extra 26% pay increase on top of existing settlements. Streeting described this as unaffordable. "That is not a figure that we can afford but we will get around the table with them again in the new year," he told reporters.
He added: "But there does need to be a closing of the gap between the BMA's expectations and… not just the Government's but the public's ability to afford what they're asking for."
The BMA has rejected an offer from conciliation service Acas to host talks. Acas confirmed it remains "well prepared and ready to help with the dispute."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the strikes on Wednesday as "dangerous and utterly irresponsible."
Flu cases at record levels
Flu patient numbers are now 2,500 higher than the 648 recorded at this point in 2023. The H3N2 strain is driving the surge. Critical care beds occupied by flu patients rose to 128 last week from 106 the previous week.
Regional variations show sharp increases in some areas. South West England saw flu patients rise 40% to 195, while Eastern England jumped 39% to 287. The North West bucked the trend, dropping 4% to 386 patients.
The UK Health Security Agency said flu levels are "now starting to stabilise," though officials cautioned it remains too early to confirm whether cases have peaked. Hospital admission rates stood at 10.3 per 100,000 people last week, largely unchanged from 10.2 the previous week.
Dr Alex Allen, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: "With Christmas just around the corner, it's reassuring to see that flu levels are now starting to stabilise, but flu is notoriously unpredictable and can bounce back and peak a second time in the new year [...]"
Hospitals on high alert
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England's national medical director, warned that hospitals would remain under severe pressure. "While some parts of the country will be breathing a sigh of relief with flu cases not rising as quickly as feared, we are nowhere near out of the woods yet [...]"
"Combined with the impact of strikes, a stream of winter viruses means many hospitals will be on high alert in the days ahead. But it remains vital that people continue to come forward for NHS care as normal."
Streeting expressed concern about the lasting impact of the five-day strike. "I'm very worried about what the coming weeks will look like, because that's often when you see the knock-on consequences following strike action, in terms of the impact, the disruption [...]" he said.
He urged eligible people to get their flu jab, noting that more than 18 million people have been vaccinated so far.
Norovirus cases also rose. Norovirus patients occupied 427 hospital beds daily last week, up 21% from the previous week.
Streeting plans to resume talks with resident doctors in the first week of January.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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