"Wes Streeting has warned resident doctors that strikes and a jump in flu cases over the Christmas period could be the Jenga piece that forces the NHS to collapse. The health secretary said the NHS faced a challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic and urged resident doctors to accept the government's offer and end their actions. He said: The whole NHS team is working around the clock to keep the show on the road. But it's an incredibly precarious situation. Christmas strikes could be the Jenga piece that collapses the tower. That's why I am appealing directly to resident doctors to accept the government's offer."
"The NHS is coping at the moment. The flu rates are still going up. He added: It's well within the boundaries of what we can cope with. One of the things we learned during the pandemic was our preparation for coping with large outbreaks of respiratory viruses got better. We increased the number of critical care or intensive care beds during that time, so we're better prepared."
Strikes by resident doctors combined with a sharp rise in flu cases over the Christmas period risk overwhelming the NHS and could precipitate systemic collapse. Flu cases increased 55% in a week to an average of 2,660 patients in hospital each day last week, with official figures warning hospital flu admissions could treble by the seasonal peak. Hospital services are operating under severe pressure as staff work around the clock to maintain care. Current flu admissions are serious but remain smaller in scale than the Covid pandemic. Preparations since the pandemic raised critical care capacity, and around 2,500 patients currently have flu admissions, equivalent to three large hospitals.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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