BMA Meets With MLAs On Junior Doctor Issues

The British Medical Association (BMA) has made it clear to MLA's that "juniors are now at a tipping point" unless action is taken to change their working conditions.

Meeting with health spokespeople from the main political parties, the BMA said they outlined "the dire state of workplace conditions, training, rotas and pay for junior doctors working in Northern Ireland".

As the BMA presented the results from their recent survey of junior doctors, politicians were "quite shocked".

In a statement, the BMA stated "the culmination of years of pay erosion, decreasing quality of training, an outdated contract and woefully inadequate facilities has created such widespread levels of low morale and burnout".

The medical association said: "We made it clear that juniors are now at a tipping point and ready to act unless something is done as a matter of urgency, by those with the power to address these issues. We told them that Northern Ireland is no longer an attractive place to train and work as a junior doctor, there are better and higher levels of pay, training quality and work/life balance elsewhere in the UK and other countries and this is making many of us seriously consider leaving."

Although devolution is currently absent, the BMA said the following actions could be taken by political parties to support junior doctors.

• Paying the DDRB uplift of 6% in a timely manner.

• Getting health trusts to fully implement BMA fatigue and facilities charter to enhance safe working conditions for juniors.

• Put pressure on the Department of Health to act on the promised review of the Single lead employer to ensure it is properly resourced.

• Support us in asking for a reformed junior doctor contract that addresses pay, workplace protections, working hours, facilities and recognition and access to training.

• For them to publicly support us in stating their commitment to full pay restoration for Junior doctors, as has happened in Scotland and Wales.