Hospital doctors in the Isle of Man have voted in favour of taking strike action in a dispute over pay.

The ballot of British Medical Association members had a turnout of 61.9%, with 104 doctors returning an overwhelming (95.19%) yes vote to preparing for industrial action.

However, industrial action could yet be averted as Manx Care made a new offer in the closing days of the ballot.

This is currently under consideration by BMA members, with the result expected early next week.

The ballot result follows growing concern among doctors about the state of the island's health service and the continued erosion of their pay.

They say they have had a real-terms pay cut of 29% since 2008, based on inflation as measured by the retail price index.

The result comes after Noble's Hospital experienced extraordinarily high levels of demand earlier this year, and amid significant leadership changes at Manx Care, with both the chief executive officer and chair announcing their departures.

Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society, Dr Prakash Thiagarajan, said: ‘Doctors have delivered a clear message that the current situation cannot continue.

‘No doctor wants to take industrial action, but years of real terms pay cuts have left colleagues feeling undervalued and increasingly concerned about the future of the profession on the island.

‘Throughout this process we have been clear that industrial action is avoidable. The fact that an improved offer has been made demonstrates that doctors' concerns are being heard. The key question now is whether members believe it delivers enough progress towards restoring the value of their pay.’

BMA deputy chair of council Dr Emma Runswick, said: ‘This result reflects the strength of feeling among doctors on the Isle of Man.

‘Last year, doctors paused industrial action after securing progress towards pay restoration, but it was always clear that further action would be likely if that progress stalled.

‘Doctors are standing up for fair pay, recognition of their expertise, and the long-term sustainability of medical staffing on the island. It is now for doctors in the BMA to decide whether Manx Care's offer goes far enough to address years of pay erosion and prevent the need for strike action.’

The ballot asked hospital doctors whether they were prepared to take part in strike action.

There were 168 entitled to vote. A total of 104 votes were cast with 99 voting yes and five voting no.

There were no spoiled papers.

The BMA says inflation on the Isle of Man - using RPI - has risen by 112% since 2008, while doctors' pay has increased by just 51%, amounting to a real-terms pay cut of 29%.

But inflation as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) - which is the measure used by government to uprate pensions, benefits and department budgets - has not risen so sharply over that time.

And the calculation of real term pay will differ depending on which base year is used.