Five-day doctors’ strike to go ahead despite ‘super-flu’ outbreak
- Resident doctors in England will go on strike from 17 to 22 December after rejecting the government's latest offer.
- The British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed that 83 per cent of doctors voted for industrial action on a 65 per cent turnout.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting had offered expanded specialist training opportunities in an attempt to avert the strike.
- Mr Streeting branded the strike 'irresponsible', citing the significant risk due to its timing just before the Christmas bank holidays and during a potential NHS winter crisis.
- The industrial action coincides with soaring flu rates, with health chiefs warning of a 'worst case scenario' for the NHS in December.