Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called on resident doctors in England to accept a government offer aimed at averting a planned strike next week, warning that industrial action amid a severe winter flu surge would place the National Health Service (NHS) under grave strain.
Starmer described potential strikes over pay and conditions as “beyond belief” given the pressures facing the health service, which officials say is dealing with record levels of flu cases — quickly rising hospitalisations and stretched resources reminiscent of the pandemic era.
The British Medical Association (BMA) is currently putting a new government deal to its members in a vote this weekend. ...
