Northern Ireland pay gap with rest of UK must be closed says CSP

The letter said that unions were concerned about worsening workforce challenges. It highlights a ‘growing pay gap’ between healthcare staff and their counterparts elsewhere in the UK.

It also appeals for the restoration of a devolved power-sharing assembly at Stormont.

CSP senior negotiating officer Claire Ronald said: ‘Health and social care service staff in Northern Ireland are still the lowest paid in the UK.

‘Capitalising on the knowledge, expertise and professional experience of an adequate supply of safe and qualified staff is essential for the successful modernisation and transformation of health care services here.

‘It is critical that our institutions are restored immediately so that the issue of health service pay can be resolved as a matter of urgency.’