Voting is now under way in the biggest ever election to the BMA UK council.
Vote now to choose who you want to represent you, and your profession, for the next three years.
Find out more www.bma.org.uk/what-we-do/u...
"If someone comes to you to talk about their alcohol use, how you respond makes a big difference to how they embark on the journey."
Dr Rachel Phillips is making sure her fellow GPs have the best possible resources to support people with alcohol problems.
Today is #UniversityMentalHealthDay
We know it’s a particularly challenging time for medical students. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone.
Our wellbeing services are free for all medical students and doctors, as well as their partners and dependants
👉 bma.org.uk/yourwellbeing
This week the BMA NI SAS Committee met to discuss key issues including pay and DDRB, the UK SAS Conference 2026, and an update on the Duty of Candour.
Want to learn more about the work of NISASC?
www.bma.org.uk/what-we-do/c...
Update from @montgomerysteven NIRDC Chair. 📣
Our next newsletter is coming soon so check your inbox and reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you to delegates for attending today’s consultants conference, and to our members who watched on the livestream.
Missed it? The recording will be on our committee webpage: bma.org.uk/what-we-do/c...
![“Forcing hospitals to collect and publish data on corridor care is welcome... [But] ending corridor care, as the Health Secretary has pledged to do, will require much bolder actions.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:46ieymyomewdswfjjvvoxexq/bafkreifp4cucyjdh6yutxy6wflbkvyqmiba4d4bkidwvkdvzp7flmuvj3u)
“Forcing hospitals to collect and publish data on corridor care is welcome... [But] ending corridor care, as the Health Secretary has pledged to do, will require much bolder actions.”
Corridor care is the reality faced every single day by doctors and patients in hospitals across the country.
We've responded to a new letter from NHS England setting out changes to how corridor care is defined and measured.
Full statement: www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-ce...
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act has officially become law.
This is a first step in tackling the jobs crisis for doctors, something we’ve long campaigned for. And after extensive BMA lobbying, we understand that the Government will be commencing the Act tomorrow.
The trend continued, with the HSE reporting a 10% annual reduction in trolley waits in 2024. Ireland’s headline health outcomes also compare favourably. Life expectancy stands at 82.9 years in Ireland versus 81.7 years in the UK. Conference calls for this to be examined further by government.
These workforce gains have coincided with improvements in patient experience. In the first five months of 2024, hospital trolley waits fell by 14% compared with 2023; despite 62k more patients presenting to ED.
This contract pays consultants a basic salary of between €231k and €277k, has €10k study leave budget, and a further €10k for QI projects. As a result of the introduction of this contract, the number of whole-time equivalent consultants increased by 42% between 2020 and 2024
At Consultants Conference today NICC chair David Farren's motion on links between consultant numbers and patient outcomes was passed. Ireland has seen strengthening of its medical workforce in recent years, driven partly by the introduction of the Sláintecare Consultant Contract
In Dec 2015 164,638 people were waiting over 9weeks on a first outpatient appointment. Ten years later that has risen to 459,020.
In today's @belfasttelegraph.co.uk Dr Alan Stout reflects on missed opportunities for change 10 years since the Bengoa report.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/comment/opin...
Update from Milan Kapoor, NIMSC Chair. 📣
Our next newsletter is coming later this week so check your inbox and reach out if you have any questions.
Search NIMSC on the BMA website to find details of your local rep.
📢 NI consultants: Has your pension been affected by recent pay uplifts?
Take our short BMA survey to help us understand the impact.
Closes 15 March.
Complete here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/NI_Consult...
Are you a sessional, locum or salaried GP working in Northern Ireland?
We are doing a survey about employment and working hours – it will only take a few minutes.
👉Complete it here: brnw.ch/21wZX21
Survey closes 6 March 2026.
Four years into the war following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, doctors are still saving lives under unimaginable pressure. (1/2)
Are you a Locally Employed Doctor? We want to hear from you. The BMA wants to support Locally Employed Doctors (LEDs) better. If you’re a Locally Employed Doctor based in England or Northern Ireland, please answer our survey today.
Are you a Locally Employed Doctor?
We want to hear from you.
Our survey of LEDs in England and Northern Ireland will help us understand your experiences, and support you better. www.surveymonkey.com/r/LED_Survey...
Alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland are at record highs.
BMA Northern Ireland is a proud signatory to this joint letter calling for urgent action: minimum unit pricing, mandatory labelling, increased alcohol duty and improved treatment access.
Me holding forth while standing behind a table laid with a BMA cloth, gesturing at the audience while making a point. Alan Stout, Chair of NI Council, is sitting watching from his place as convenor of the meeting. There were loads of people there but they’re all just out of frame, collectivising too
Me and Alan Stout, Chair of NI Council, in front of an old staircase at Riddel Hall in Belfast where the meeting was (but not in the meeting room itself as that was just a standard seminar room and not very interesting as a background for a photo)
Great pleasure to address an all-member open meeting in Belfast tonight. We talked about the shocking health disparity between NI and the rest of the UK, the lack of training posts, the pull of Sláintecare, and how the BMA’s new, strong collective voice can start to address them together ✊
“The current situation is not sustainable. With the right support, GPs and hospital doctors can continue to deliver the personal, trusted care that older patients value and deserve.”
BMA Northern Ireland responds to @cop-ni.bsky.social 'Voices of Concern' report - www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-ce...
Honouring the trailblazers who reshaped medicine and history 🩺🏳️🌈 Read thir stories 👉 thedoctor.bma.org.uk/articles/hea...
#LGBTQHistoryMonth
Join us tomorrow for our Information session, plus a Q&A for RD’s on monitoring/banding!
📍Belfast City Hospital, Cancer Centre, Seminar Room 3.
📅17 Feb
⏰1pm
Next one:
📍RVH, Sir Samuel Irwin Lecture Theatre.
📅18 Feb
⏰1pm
All welcome, lunch provided!
LAST FEW DAYS!
Do you want to be a voice that helps shape the future of the medical profession and support your colleagues?
Nominations for the elections are now open. Just make sure you get your nominations in by 4pm, Monday 16 February 2026
Go to 👉 brnw.ch/21wZNjR
Deputy chair of BMA’s representative body and NIC
Dr Clodagh Corrigan joined a discussion on BBC Radio Ulster to discuss the need for minimum unit alcohol pricing in Northern Ireland.
Listen back here at 44:37: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
“Minimum unit alcohol pricing legislation is needed in Northern Ireland. It is a cost-effective way to tackle alcohol-related harms and reduce health inequalities.”
BMA NI Council deputy chair, Dr Clodagh Corrigan, comments on latest stats on alcohol-specific deaths.
www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-ce...
It was great to be at Daisy Hill Hospital last week for a contract meeting with the resident doctors.
We would love to hear your feedback and thoughts, fill out our form wtith what you would like to see if your future contract here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
Are you a sessional, locum or salaried GP working in Northern Ireland?
We are doing a survey about employment and working hours – it will only take a few minutes.
👉Complete it here: www.research.net/r/NY3LZ3M
Survey closes 6 March 2026.
Two gentlemen standing beside a blue BMA branded table and sign. The sign says 'we look after doctors so they can look after you'.
It was great to be part of the February Inductions this week at Altnagelvin Hospital. A huge welcome to all of the new Doctors!
You can join and find out more information on how the BMA can support you now and throughout your career here: www.bma.org.uk/join
For too long doctors have been made to feel unable to report safety critical issues relating to working hours. This has led to thousands of hours completely unrecognised. Doctors have been undervalued, and patient safety has been potentially put at risk.
