Debate contribution: Junior Doctors’ Pay

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Robinson on 21 May 2024.

MLA

Mr Alan Robinson

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

21 May 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Junior Doctors’ Pay

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4491885

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The alarm bells rang in this Building earlier today to call us to order, but it is safe to say that alarm bells are ringing about the future of our health service. Yet another day, yet another crisis in health. The mounting pressures that weigh on our health system make me, as the father of a young child and a citizen of this Province, fear for the future. As we stand on the precipice of junior doctor strikes, we recognise that such action tends to be a last resort. It is a desperate plea for fair pay and acknowledgement of their sacrifices. Junior doctors state that their counterparts in neighbouring jurisdictions enjoy better pay, improved working conditions and manageable workloads. Therefore, it is no wonder that recruitment and retention have become pressing issues here in the Province. We all hoped that the industrial action that was held earlier this year would have brought matters to a head. There is no question about the vital role that junior doctors play in the health service. I am spooked by the effect that the latest strike action will have on patient outcomes. I fear that the strike will result only in the further loss of those whom we train, such is the frustration among junior doctors. With waiting lists at an all-time high, we need, now more than ever, to retain those whom we train. The Health Committee recently heard from the chairperson of the BMA's junior doctor committee, who said that there had been no negotiation. She highlighted to the Committee the fact that junior doctors' pay is the lowest in the UK. She said that they were not looking for a pay uplift in one go, and that they would accept an annual uplift with an annual negotiation. We were also told that the DDRB uplift for 2023-24 had not yet been paid, even though the Department had allegedly given a commitment that it would be paid immediately following the restoration of the Assembly. However, it was good to learn that the award will be paid in the June pay run, with the Department now stating that it will be in pay packets next month. I hope that that will be the case. Pay is a central issue of concern, with 72% of junior doctors saying that their current pay makes them more likely to leave Health and Social Care in the Province. The BMA states that staff levels will rise only if we see proper pay rises that make Northern Ireland an attractive place in which to practice medicine. It will be impossible to address waiting lists if we do not have the staff working in the health service. Although pay is key, so, too, is burnout. At Committee, we were told that coffee and goodwill is currently saving the health service. The Minister, in correspondence with the Committee, said that he will await further clarity on any final settlement in ongoing pay negotiations on the mainland. However, health in Northern Ireland is devolved, so I wonder why we must wait on the outcomes in England, particularly when we see the movement that has occurred in Scotland and Wales. The Minister is on record as saying that below-inflation pay awards are a direct consequence of the austerity policies that have been adopted by the Conservative Government. Each 1% increase in medical pay is currently estimated to cost £6·6 million per annum recurrently. We are all too versed in the financial pressures that face this Administration. The recent Budget announcement, in which Health will receive over half of the total amount allocated to Departments for day-to-day running, has created hope among junior doctors. However, they need more than hope. There is no question about the vital role that junior doctors play in the health service, but I am spooked by the effect that the latest strike action will have on patient outcomes. I ask the Minister this: what action is being taken to ensure patient safety during the forthcoming strikes? I call on the Minister of Health to keep engaging with the BMA to try to address the concerns of junior doctors, taking inspiration from the agreement that was reached in Scotland and the recent outcome in Wales. Our junior doctors are valued by everyone in the House, and our citizens should receive the care that they deserve. A balance needs to be struck, but that can be done only with direct engagement by all sides in good faith. I hope, even at this late hour, that, on the back of this debate, the situation can be de-escalated. I very much look forward to hearing the Minister's updated position today.

779 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:33 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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