The BMA has delivered a warning to the Northern Irish Government that a delayed below-inflation pay award could lead to an exodus of GPs and other doctors.
In was recently announced that all GPs, including partners, will receive a 4.5% pay rise in all of the devolved nations, including Northern Ireland.
However, in Northern Ireland there is no timescale for when the pay increase will come into effect, as there is still no agreed executive budget for the country.
Now a BMA survey of over 1,000 NI doctors conducted in the summer has revealed a stark discontent with the situation.
It showed that:
- 85% of doctors think the proposed uplift of 4.5% is ‘too low’.
- One in five (20%) GPs now intend to retire earlier than planned.
- The inability to make the award has made over half (53%) of GPs more likely or much more likely to leave the health service.
- Among junior doctors, 93% are discontent with the size of the uplift.
- Nearly two-thirds (72%) of junior doctors are now either ‘more likely to leave’ or ‘much more likely to leave’ the health service.
- 40% of junior doctors said it made them more likely to seek work outside of Northern Ireland.
BMA Northern Ireland has written to the health minister to request an urgent meeting to discuss the pay award.
Council chair Dr Tom Black said the level of ‘dissatisfaction, low morale and burnout’ among doctors is ‘probably higher than I have ever seen it’.
He said: ‘We are doing our best to meet the needs of patients but are under pressure from all sides and a low pay award combined with an inability to actually get the award paid is another blow.’
Dr Black said the award is a ‘real-terms pay cut on top of many years of pay erosion’.
He added: ‘Of the medical students who responded to the survey 28% said below inflation pay rises meant they would seek work outside of the UK, only 7% said they would want to work here regardless. That is extremely worrying.’
In England, the BMA’s GP Committee has been given a mandate to explore GP industrial action in response to the ‘derisory’ pay award.
GP partners in England are tied to a multi-year contract intended to give them a 2% year-on-year pay rise, and are therefore not receiving the 4.5% uplift.
The BMA’s UK junior doctor given the Government an ultimatum to commit to restoring pay by the end of next month or face industrial action.
