Resident Doctors in England voted with an overwhelming majority to go on strike from 7am Wednesday to 7am Monday. Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the industrial action as risking the collapse of the NHS when patients would need it most. Flu cases in England have been on a sharp rise since early October with the so-called “super flu” starting a month earlier than usual in the last 5 years. Most cases are appearing in people aged 5-24, school aged children tend to be most likely to catch and spread flu on account of close contact with each other. However, those over the age of 85 are most likely to be hospitalised from the flu. Cases of people hospitalised with flu jumped 55% in one week, averaging 2,660 patients per day in England. The British Medical Association had rejected the Health Secretary's proposal to create more training places for medical professionals at the start of their career. The BMA said it was “Too little, too late” and 83% voted to go ahead with the strike, on a turnout of 65%. This turnout suggests that around 30-35 thousand resident doctors may not be working from the 17th to the 22nd of December. The NHS Chief Executive suggested that 5,000 to 8,000 hospital beds could be occupied with flu admissions within the next few days. Some experts have also warned that this flu strain has undergone more mutations than anticipated, potentially impacting the effectiveness of the flu jab. This could mean that it spreads faster and could be more aggressive and less predictable than previous years. Last year (2024/25) the UK Health Security Agency estimated that there was an excess mortality of 7,757 flu related deaths, an increase from the 2023/24 estimate of 3,555.

Thousands have been left without running water in South East England as Kent County Council declares a major incident. Water issues in the general Kent and Canterbury area began just before the weekend, with roughly 30,000 households impacted with either no water, or low water pressure. South East Water have claimed the issues are due to the recent below freezing weather and Storm Goretti, saying that they were unable to treat raw water at their usual capacity. Among those impacted is Kent University, where some students haven’t had any running water since last night, leaving them unable to shower or have tap water to drink. Others have only got hot water. One student shared the email they received from the University asking students to reduce water usage where possible. Jasmine, a first year law student, said that the on campus Co-Op is out of bottled water, with other soft drinks also in high demand. She said that some students on campus are unable to wash dishes or flush toilets. Several schools in the area are closed today or returning to virtual learning due to the lack of water until the situation is improved. South East Water have been working to remedy the issue but are unclear on when residents can expect to turn their taps back on. Until then frustration has been growing towards South East Water, with some describing the situation as "absolute carnage” and “incredibly annoying”. South East Water has been handing out bottled water to residents over the weekend at; East Grinstead Sports Club, Saint Hill Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4JU, Kings Centre, Moat Road, East Grinstead, RH19 3LN, East Court, College Lane, East Grinstead, RH19 3LT, Tunbridge Wells Rugby Football Club, St. Marks Recreation Ground, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5LS, Headcorn Aerodrome, Shenley Road, Ashford TN27 9HX.