Causeway hospital would be 'turned into health centre' if UUP health minister doesn't make 'the right call' - DUP MLA
People on the North Coast could lose their hospital and have it “replaced by a health centre” if the Ulster Unionist health minister doesn’t make “the right call” on the future of services at the Causeway, a DUP MLA has said.
Paul Frew is among the politicians in the area warning about the impact of proposed changes to the services on offer, amid proposals to shift emergency general surgery (EGS) to the Antrim area hospital.
The North Antrim MLA has also warned about the impact on Antrim, which he says is “already struggling” with the current demand.
TUV MP Jim Allister says that it is “unsustainable” to have a situation where “time after time we are taking from Causeway to give to Antrim” – while the UUP leader Jon Burrows has said he “will never agree” with the changes.
However, it will be in the gift of Mr Burrows’s sole minister in the executive, health minister Mike Nesbitt, as to whether the plans are signed off.
The Northern Trust says that keeping EGS at both sites that is unsustainable – and its proposals are to “avoid potential service collapse”.
The health authority says it wants to develop the Coleraine site as “an elective and diagnostic hub for the entire north-west area” – and its status as an acute hospital “will not change”.
However, North Antrim MLA Paul Frew has repeated his concerns about the “running down of services” at Causeway hospital.
He told the News Letter: “On Monday 17th at one point there were 44 people awaiting a bed in the Causeway, the new surgical arrangement that the trust wants to adopt would mean that 22 impatient beds would be lost so we can see what it means for the community of North Antrim and East Londonderry.
“Even if you moved all those people from the causeway to be treated in Antrim Area Hospital then Antrim Area would not be able to cope because that hospital is already struggling and stretched to the max.
“If the UUP Health Minister doesn’t make the right call on this then the people of Coleraine, Ballymoney, Ballycastle, Bushmills and every village in between will lose their hospital and have it replaced by a health centre. They will still call it Causeway hospital, but it will be anything but a hospital.
“The health minister and the Northern Trust for that matter must look to a more collegiate approach which brings in other services from other trusts. They need to produce a master plan that informs the public of what their full intent is and not this crazy drip feeding of woe and closure within each trust area”.
The DUP MLA said it is for the health department “to produce radical transformation to protect the services that we have instead of trusts being allowed to neglect recruitment in Causeway and then encourage staff members to move from Causeway to Antrim”.
Mr Frew said it feels as if the plans “are preordained yet the public only get to hear about it in drips and drabs and when closure is inevitable and done in the name of safety. Its not good enough”.
A spokesperson for the Northern Trust said: “We recognise the strength of feeling around proposals to transform general surgery services within our Trust and welcome the opportunity to provide clarity and reassurance to our patients, staff and wider community.
“Our Causeway Vision sets out our clear ambitions for the hospital’s future and reaffirms our commitment to investing in services to continue to improve outcomes for the local community. Causeway Hospital’s status as an acute hospital will not change and it will continue to be an important part of the region’s Trauma Network. It will also continue to operate a 24/7 consultant-led Emergency Department.
“Our recommendation to centralise emergency general surgery and complex colorectal surgery at Antrim Area Hospital, with elective general surgery being delivered at Causeway Hospital, is aimed at ensuring our Trust can continue to deliver a safe, stable and sustainable service, and followed a 14-week public consultation on our proposals.
“The current model of providing emergency general surgery across two sites is becoming increasingly unsustainable and our preference is for a planned and managed change to avoid potential service collapse.
“Our ambition is to further develop Causeway Hospital as an elective and diagnostic hub for the entire north-west area. We are pleased that additional funding of £3.5m will allow us to expand our elective surgery service and strengthen the surgical workforce as it will help us to improve access to care, reduce waiting times and bring more planned care closer to people’s homes”.