Consultants and specialist doctors in Northern Ireland conducted a 24-hour strike beginning Thursday morning and concluding Friday morning, marking the first industrial action by these professional groups in the region. Full emergency coverage remained available throughout the action, and patients were able to attend scheduled appointments except where they received alternative notification. The Department of Health indicated that 90% of services continued operating despite the walkout.
Various health trusts reported significant service disruptions. The Southern Trust rescheduled 143 outpatient appointments and 11 surgeries. The Northern Trust postponed five planned day procedures, 62 outpatient appointments, and 64 radiology appointments. The Belfast Trust postponed 569 outpatient appointments and 114 day cases and anticipated substantial disruption from additional planned industrial action scheduled for later in the month. The Western Trust cancelled or postponed 321 appointments covering inpatient, outpatient, and day case services. The South Eastern Health Trust temporarily closed Lagan Valley Hospital’s urgent care centre due to the strike.
The industrial action stemmed from a pay dispute following doctors’ rejection of a recommended 3.5% pay uplift from an independent pay body. A ballot conducted over a four-week period showed 92% of resident doctors, 79% of consultants, and 90% of SAS doctors voted in favour of strike action. Union representatives cited over 18 years of pay erosion as context for the decision.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt expressed disappointment at the strike action while stating his commitment to implementing the current year’s pay award, though he indicated budget constraints currently prevent this. He noted that granting increases beyond the 3.5% recommendation would create significant repercussions across the broader public sector. BMA representatives plan to meet with assembly health committee leadership to discuss the dispute. A second 24-hour walkout is scheduled for later this month.
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