Health Minister says 90% of services will continue despite doctors’ strike action

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt

Patients across Northern Ireland are being urged to attend appointments as normal despite planned industrial action by doctors over the coming days, with Health Minister Mike Nesbitt insisting that more than 90% of Health and Social Care services will continue as scheduled.

The reassurance comes ahead of a 24-hour period of industrial action by consultants and Specialist and Associate Specialist (SAS) doctors, due to begin at 7am on Thursday 25 June and continue until 7am on Friday 26 June.

Resident doctors are also set to take part in separate industrial action on Monday 29 June.

The planned action has raised concerns about potential disruption to healthcare services, but the Minister said trusts across Northern Ireland have activated contingency arrangements to maintain essential care and minimise the impact on patients.

Patients told to attend appointments unless contacted

Mr Nesbitt stressed that the vast majority of appointments and services are expected to proceed as planned throughout both periods of industrial action.

“It is important to stress that over 90% of services across the Health and Social Care (HSC) system are proceeding as planned,” he said.

“All patients with scheduled appointments on either day should attend as planned unless they have been directly contacted to advise their appointment has been postponed.”

Health trusts have activated operational plans designed to protect essential services and maintain continuity of care during the strike periods.

The Minister also paid tribute to healthcare staff who will continue working throughout the industrial action, describing them as vital to ensuring patient care continues.

Pay dispute remains at centre of action

The industrial action centres on a dispute over pay.

Mr Nesbitt said he remains committed to implementing this year’s pay award recommendation from the independent Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay Review Body (DDRB), but argued that budget constraints currently prevent him from doing so.

“I remain committed to implementing this year’s pay award as recommended by the independent Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay Review Body (DDRB) but unfortunately, I am currently unable to do so in the absence of an agreed budget for my department,” he said.

The Minister added that the recommended uplift for 2026/27 is 3.5%, which he said is higher than the increase recommended for other healthcare professionals working within Health and Social Care.

According to Mr Nesbitt, that recommendation follows substantial pay increases for doctors over recent years, with average cumulative uplifts of:

• 30% for resident doctors over the past three years

• 25% for Specialty, Associate Specialist and Specialist (SAS) doctors

• 24% for consultants

Minister highlights scale of strike mandate

Mr Nesbitt also pointed to the level of support for industrial action among the wider medical workforce.

“This action is being taken on the mandate of less than a quarter of the medical workforce in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Overall, only 24.8% of doctors locally have voted to take this action.”

He thanked doctors who had chosen not to participate and who would continue providing services throughout the strike periods.

The Minister said he had recently met with representatives from the three relevant British Medical Association (BMA) committees, where discussions focused on the pay award recommendation and wider demands from doctors.

He argued that exceeding the independent review body’s recommendation would have wider implications across the public sector.

“To go beyond the 3.5% as recommended by the independent pay review recommendation would have significant repercussions for nurses, teachers, police officers and indeed the entire public sector workforce,” he said.

Impact expected but essential services protected

While disruption is expected in some areas, health officials have repeatedly emphasised that contingency plans are in place and that patients should not assume appointments have been cancelled.

The latest industrial action comes against the backdrop of ongoing pressures on Northern Ireland’s health service, with workforce recruitment, retention and pay continuing to be major issues across the sector.

For now, health leaders are urging patients to follow official advice, attend appointments unless told otherwise, and expect essential services to remain available throughout the strike periods.