Antrim Area Hospital, and Causeeay Hospital, Coleraine.
Campaign group SOS Causeway Hospital has urged the community to “equip themselves of the facts and information” over a proposal by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust to centralise emergency surgery at Antrim Hospital and carry out planned surgery at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.
Currently, emergency and elective surgery takes place at both hospitals.
Campaigners have highlighted concerns over capacity and increasing pressure on Antrim Hospital if a proposal to centralise emergency surgery at the site is given the go-ahead.
The campaign group has also questioned if Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry could cope with additional patients, potentially, saying that consultation should take place with communities in the Western Trust area.
The Northern Trust says the review of general surgery is “made necessary by a number of factors including workforce challenges, which have made it increasingly difficult to maintain the required levels of staffing to deliver all aspects of general surgery services across two sites”.
Additionally, new Departmental standards for emergency and elective surgery contained within the Department of Health’s 2022 Review of General Surgery, cannot be fully met without service reconfiguration, the Trust has stated.
A 14-week consultation period commenced on Friday with four public “listening events” organised by the Northern Trust to be held in Cookstown, Coleraine, Antrim and online. SOS Causeway Hospital is planning to hold a public meeting in September.
The Trust has indicated that it has met with colleagues in the Western Health and Social Care Trust “to discuss the potential that some patients may elect to go to Altnagelvin emergency department rather than Causeway” and has agreed to “keep this situation under review”.
Last week, the SOS Causeway Hospital committee met with the Northern Trust chief executive Jennifer Welsh and senior clinicians to discuss the proposal.
Chairperson Gemma Brolly said:
“We in SOS Causeway Hospital welcome the pro-active approach of the NHSCT and appreciate their determination to avoid collapse of any kind.”
Gemma stressed it is “essential the public make themselves aware of the important information and participate in the consultation”.
“Many are questioning the future of the hospital but will be aware of the NHSCT’s commitment to develop our hospital services. The details of this lie particularly within the ‘Strategic Vision’ released earlier this year. We urge all stakeholders to read this document, reading whilst also reading between the lines,” the chairperson said.
‘Causeway Hospital A Strategic Vision’ sets out the Trust’s “strategic, long term ambition for the Causeway site”.
Vice chairperson Adele Tomb, SOS Causeway Hospital, said:
“We are aware of the ever-changing demographics in our area and the need for change to address these.
“We are accepting of solution-based change which incorporates everyone, particularly those working on the ground and in their field of expertise, as well as service users.
“We urge everyone to equip themselves of the facts and information, ensuring their concerns are recognised and questions answered at the listening events during the 14-week consultation period.”
Gillian Traub, Northern Trust’s director of operations, said:
“We know that there has been a lot of rumour and speculation around Causeway Hospital’s future since the transformation of our maternity services in 2023; and we expect people will have questions and concerns around further proposed transformation within the Northern Trust.
“That is why the public consultation process is so important. We want to engage with as many people as possible over the coming weeks, to explain how we have arrived at this evidence-based proposal for change and provide answers and reassurance about the future of our general surgery service, and Causeway Hospital.
“As outlined in our ‘Vision for Causeway’, it is, and will remain, a vital part of our acute hospital network, and this proposed reconfiguration of general surgery won’t change that. In fact, we believe this proposal will further strengthen our case for Causeway Hospital becoming an elective hub for the entire North West region – one of the ambitions contained within our Vision.”
Last July, a reconfiguration of maternity services saw all hospital births within the Northern Trust area move to Antrim Hospital and an end to births at Causeway Hospital.