Image caption, Dr David Farren said there was a "palpable sense of anger" among hospital doctors ByClaire QuinnBBC News NI Published 25 June 2026, 00:00 BST Updated 2 hours ago Consultants and specialist doctors are taking part in industrial action over pay.

This is the first time these two groups of doctors have gone on strike in Northern Ireland, and while some routine and elective services will be cancelled, the Department of Health said 90% had gone ahead.

Full emergency cover remains in place and patients should attend all scheduled appointments unless advised otherwise.

The 24-hour industrial action began at 07:00 BST on Thursday, but there will be no picket line demonstrations.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he was disappointed doctors were going ahead with strike action and he remained committed to implementing this year's pay award but was currently unable to do so in the absence of an agreed budget.

Dr David Farren, chairman of the British Medical Association's (BMA) Northern Ireland consultants committee said that while the walk out was primarily about pay it was also about recruiting and retaining doctors in Northern Ireland to deliver the services.

Speaking on Good Morning Ulster, Nesbitt said: "If I could give them more than 3.5% then I would be very happy to do so." He said every minister in the executive was concerned about their budget.

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On Thursday, the Southern Trust said that 143 outpatient appointments had been rescheduled, as had 11 surgeries.

The South Eastern Health Trust said Lagan Valley Hospital's urgent care centre is closed because of the strike action.

The Northern Trust said that five planned day procedures, 62 outpatient appointments and 64 radiology appointments had been rescheduled.

The Belfast Trust said it was "expecting significant disruption" to its services as a result of planned industrial action on Thursday and Monday.

It said 569 outpatient appointments had been postponed as well as 114 day cases.

It added any patients affected by the industrial action would be contacted directly and an alternative date would be arranged as soon as possible.

Anyone else should attend their appointment as planned.

The Western Trust said 321 appointments had been postponed or cancelled on Thursday.

These included inpatients, outpatients and day cases.

The BMA balloted its members over a four-week period after doctors' leaders rejected a recommended 3.5% pay uplift from an independent pay body.

Earlier this month it was announced that 92% of resident doctors voted yes and 79% of consultants voted for strike action.

The BMA also said 90% of SAS (specialist, associate specialist and speciality) doctors voted in favour of strike action.

Both branches of practice voted in favour of industrial action in what they said was "over 18 years of pay erosion".

Representatives from the BMA will go to Stormont on Thursday where they will meet with the chair and deputy chair of the assembly's health committee to discuss the pay dispute.

SAS doctors are fully qualified doctors who work permanently with the healthcare team in their chosen area of medicine.

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The British Medical Association balloted its members over a four-week period A separate 24-hour walkout will take place on Monday 29 June.

Dr David Farren said the offer from the health minister was "not parity".

"It is quite clear that doctors in Northern Ireland are paid less than those in England, Scotland, and Wales, what the minister means by parity means that we get the same uplift as everyone else, but we don't start on the same footing," he said.

He said retaining doctors in Northern Ireland had become an issue.

"When doctors leave, the doctors who are left behind are having to work additional hours, they are burning out, they are not able to deliver the care that they need." Dr Leanne Davison, chairwoman of the BMA's Northern Ireland SAS committee, said the health service can "no longer run on the goodwill of front-line staff".

"Doctors are choosing to leave the health service or to reduce their contracted hours due to continued pay erosion and we can see the outworkings of this in services having to close due to staffing shortages.

"Those with the power to change this have so far chosen not to, which has forced hospital doctors into the unacceptable position of taking strike action in order to be heard." The health minister said 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".

"I reiterate my commitment to ensuring HSC colleagues receive their recommended 26-27 pay uplifts, despite the unprecedented shortfall as indicated in my draft budget," he said.