Consultants and specialist doctors in Northern Ireland engaged in a 24-hour period of industrial action beginning Thursday at 07:00 BST and concluding Friday at 07:00, marking the first strike by these professional groups in the region. Full emergency services remained operational throughout the action, and patients were directed to attend scheduled appointments unless notified otherwise by their healthcare providers.
Various health trusts across Northern Ireland reported service disruptions due to the strike. The Southern Trust rescheduled 143 outpatient appointments and 11 surgeries, while the Northern Trust postponed 62 outpatient appointments, 64 radiology appointments, and five planned day procedures. The Belfast Trust cancelled or postponed 569 outpatient appointments and 114 day cases. The Western Trust reported 321 postponed or cancelled appointments involving inpatients, outpatients, and day cases. The South Eastern Health Trust closed Lagan Valley Hospital’s urgent care centre due to the action. Despite these disruptions, the Department of Health stated that 90% of routine and elective services proceeded as planned.
The industrial action centered on pay disputes following doctors’ rejection of a recommended 3.5% pay uplift from an independent pay body. Voting results showed 92% of resident doctors, 79% of consultants, and 90% of SAS doctors supported strike action. Doctor representatives cited over 18 years of pay erosion as motivation for the walkout. Medical Association leadership asserted that the current offer did not address existing pay disparities between Northern Ireland doctors and their counterparts in England, Scotland, and Wales, and emphasized concerns about physician retention and burnout affecting service delivery.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt expressed disappointment with the strike action but stated he remained committed to implementing the current year’s pay award pending budget approval. He noted that exceeding the 3.5% recommendation would create significant repercussions across the broader public sector, including impacts on nurses, teachers, and police officers. A second 24-hour strike was scheduled for later in the month, with BMA representatives planning meetings at Stormont to further discuss the dispute.
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