Junior doctors in Northern Ireland strike over pay

Junior doctors in Northern Ireland are taking strike action for the first time in a dispute over pay.

Doctors are on picket lines at hospitals across Northern Ireland, during 24 hours of action.

Of those who voted, 97.6% were in favour of going on strike, with a 63.7% turnout, the British Medical Association (BMA) said.

The Department of Health (DoH) has said there will be "significant disruption" to patient care.

Junior doctors in England went on strike for the 10th time from 25 February - 1 March in their long-running pay dispute.

Junior doctors in Wales also held a strike in February.

The DoH said it was committed to negotiations with the BMA junior doctors committee which "offers the best prospect of deescalating the situation".

Why are junior doctors on strike?

Anna Murray, a junior doctor, said her job is "very difficult".

Junior doctors in Northern Ireland are striking for just one day - from 08:00 GMT on Wednesday until 08:00 on Thursday.

Anna Murray, a junior doctor at Craigavon Area Hospital, said her job is "very difficult".

Speaking at the picket line she said: "Out of hours there is only one F1 (Foundation 1) doctor on and then two more senior doctors and a consultant on call. At nights it is me going to see someone who is sick.

"You are dealing with people who are very sick and the emotions of people who are sick. You are trying to order the right scans and medications. I am only 25 and it is a lot of responsibility," she added.

On the subject of pay Dr Murray said her wage is "about £12.50 an hour" and only for contracted hours.

"I'm contracted from 08:00 to 17:00 but I've yet to get out at 17:00 and any extra time I stay, I'm not reimbursed for that."

The BMA said the result of the ballot showed junior doctors felt they had no other choice

The BMA said junior doctors' salaries in Northern Ireland fell by 30% over the past 15 years.

Dr Fiona Griffin of the BMA said medics were "leaving in droves" because of the poor rates of pay and the strike action was an attempt to "preserve the NHS".

"Without these junior doctors we're not going to have senior doctors in the future and we're not going to be able to drive those waiting lists down, we're not going to be able to care for the population in Northern Ireland."

How much do junior doctors get paid in NI?

The current base starting salary for a junior doctor is about £26,000.

However, this does not take into account weekend or out-of-hours work.

What is a junior doctor?

Junior doctors are qualified doctors who are still involved in clinical training, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).

Patients may be treated by a junior doctor in a hospital or general practice setting.

All have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years' of working experience as a hospital doctor or up to five years working and gaining experience to become a GP.

They work under the supervision of a senior doctor.

Dr Shane O'Hara hopes that the 24 hour strike will get the message across to the Department of Health

Dr Shane O'Hara, a junior doctor at Antrim Area Hospital, said "we're looking for pay restoration".

"We work hard and conditions are poor. We've been negotiating with ministers and Department of Health for a long time," he added.

"But it's come to the point that we feel striking is the only way to get our message across,"

Speaking from the picket line, Dr O'Hara said "it's unfortunate we've had to strike at all" but hopes the government "can bring forward a suitable plan" to match the salary of junior doctors in other parts of the UK.

Doctors Rhys Kelly and Adam Flynn are on the picket line In Londonderry

Junior doctor Rhys Kelly works at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry.

He told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme strike action is "necessary to get the attention we need".

"All of us junior doctors from the F1 who have just come out of university, up to a ST7 (speciality trainee) who is basically nearly a consultant, with about 10 years of experience, we are all feeling chronically overworked, underpaid and undervalued," he said.

Will my appointment be cancelled?

Disruptions to services are happening across the trusts due to junior doctors taking 24-hour strike action

During the strike, senior medical staff are working to cover the roles normally undertaken by junior doctors.

The DoH said because of this there would be "substantial disruption to planned hospital activity" on the strike day and as services recovered.

Most planned operations and outpatient clinics across all five regional health trusts are not taking place.

Many people on the picket lines in Derry held placards and signs calling for better pay

The focus is on "maintaining safe services for acutely unwell patients" and that most surgical procedures carried out will be in case of emergencies.

How badly has each health trust been affected?

The Belfast Health Trust has confirmed that:

• 790 of its outpatient appointments are cancelled.

• 64 inpatient/day case procedures are cancelled.

The South Eastern Health Trust said:

• 418 outpatient appointment are postponed.

• 65 surgeries are postponed.

• nine endoscopy investigations postponed.

The Northern Health Trust said:

• 208 outpatient appointments have been cancelled.

• 27 surgeries postponed.

The Southern Health Trust said:

• 175 outpatients have been postponed

• 10 surgeries and all elective caesareans also postponed

• 10 endoscopy investigations postponed

The Western Health Trust said:

• 242 outpatients appointments have been postponed

• 44 inpatient and day care procedures postponed

All trusts with the exception of the Northern Trust said that unless patients have been told otherwise they should attend scheduled appointments.

The Northern Trust advised that its patients should assume appointments are cancelled - unless the trust has told them otherwise.

What does NI's Department of Health say?

Junior doctors pictured on the picket line outside Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry

The DoH said it was committed "to further engagement with the BMA junior doctors committee on pay, contract reform and other issues," and that this offered the best prospect of "deescalating the situation".

A spokesman added that in line with independent pay body recommendations, junior doctors in NI had been offered an average pay increase of 9.1% for 2023/24 with those in their first year receiving a 10.7% uplift.

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He said the award would be backdated to April 2023 and should be "viewed in the context of pay settlements across the wider NI public sector".

However, he added that in relation to 2023-24 pay, the department could only implement the recommendations of independent pay review bodies or mirror pay settlements in England.

He said there were grounds for productive negotiations with the BMA junior doctors' committee.

This is includes 2024-25 junior doctor pay, potentially reforming the current junior contract in Northern Ireland, and addressing areas of concern on working conditions and other non-pay issues.