Junior doctors warn 'mistakes being made' as they consider industrial action in Northern Ireland

Junior doctors have warned that mistakes are being made and patients are regularly coming to harm because of staffing and resource pressures.

The warning comes as they consider taking industrial action for the first time ever in Northern Ireland over pay and conditions.

Junior doctors will be balloted in March.

They have asked for assurances of a 6 percent pay uplift this year, along with an above inflation reward.

The Department of Health has said the money is not available in the budget.

Dr Fiona Griffin, chair of the BMA NI's Junior Doctor Committee, said she understands the budget constraints but that the money "must be found from somewhere."

"Junior doctors are the worst paid in the UK, so many doctors are moving out of Northern Ireland to go to Scotland, England, Australia, or leaving the profession completely," she said.

Dr Griffin added that the only way to stem the outflow of doctors was to award the pay uplift.

"If we don't, what position are we going to be in, in five to 10 years time?"

She said that currently there are too few doctors to adequately staff the rota and get the work done that is needed to keep people safe.

"Patient safety is our primary concern. As doctors we do not want our patients to come to harm, but we can see the system is so stretched and burdened that harm is already coming to patients - emergency departments with long bed waits, too many patients in an area with not enough staff - mistakes are happening all the time."

The Department of Health said that to implement the asked for pay uplift would "require large scale cuts to services on an unprecedented scale, with severe and lasting implications for health and social care provision."

A spokesman for the Department added: "The Department does not have the authority to make such cutbacks in the absence of a minister.

"We also do not believe junior doctors or any other part of the health and social care workforce would want us to implement such measures."

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