Resignation of Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbitt leaves opposition to Causeway reforms stronger than ever

Elective surgery and the Emergency Department at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine would remain unchanged.

A public meeting in Coleraine Town Hall last week saw many attendees forced to stand as opposition to the proposals was described as overwhelming.

UUP leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows argued publicly against the proposals, approved by his party colleague Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, who then resigned on Tuesday.

The Trust says providing emergency general surgery at both Antrim and Causeway is becoming increasingly unsustainable. It says centralisation would align with wider NHS reforms and specific recommendations, including those outlined for NI by Professor Raphael Bengoa in 2016.

Advocates of reform argue that medicine is becoming increasingly specialised and doctors need high volumes of patients in their specialties to develop and maintain skills safely. Critics, however, say centralisation will significantly increase travel times for patients needing specialist care.

The Northern Trust says it is the only Northern Ireland trust providing emergency general surgery at two sites.

A Trust spokesperson highlighted “concerns expressed by our surgical colleagues that it has become increasingly challenging to provide 24/7 emergency rota cover at both hospitals”.

The Trust said its proposals were informed by extensive clinical engagement and in line with national policy and standards. Its current services were assessed against Department of Health evidence-based standards, in conjunction with its surgical team, and were found to require transformation to meet new standards. Advice was also sought from GIRFT (Getting It Right First Time), a clinically led national NHS improvement programme.

Gemma Brolly, chairperson of SOS Causeway Hospital and deputy leader of Aontu, said wider NHS centralisation makes sense for many medical specialisms - but not emergency general surgery.

“Ambulance cover is essential if you're going to centralise general emergency surgery,” she said, claiming Freedom of Information requests showed 165 days below planned ambulance cover in the area in one recent year.

She also argued the proposals did not take sufficient account of the North Coast’s ageing population and significant rise in tourists.

North Antrim TUV MP Jim Allister urged the next Health Minister to reject the Trust’s proposals, saying the extra time needed to transport critically ill patients to Antrim “could mean the difference between life and death”.

He also questioned how Antrim would manage the additional workload - and called for the Trust to publish the full data and methodology behind its decision.

Independent East Londonderry MLA Claire Sugden said: “I absolutely accept that reform of our health service will require difficult decisions. But difficult decisions are not necessarily the right decisions.

"I believe removing emergency general surgery from Causeway would be the wrong one. I’ve spent months speaking to senior medical staff and others across our health service, listening to their concerns and advocating strongly for Causeway with the Minister.

"I’ve also heard first-hand about previous decisions which have strengthened Antrim at the expense of Causeway and not necessarily helped as intended. We need to learn from those experiences and ensure that everyone is heard, not just those trying manage the failure.”

North Antrim DUP MLA Paul Frew said: "It’s completely up to the UUP ofcourse but given the nature of Mike Nesbitt’s resignation letter, there’s only one person in the UUP that can now take the Health Minister position and that’s Jon Burrows."

Ballymoney DUP councillor Darryl Wilson said the resignation had not removed the threat to Causeway and called for the campaign to save the service to “increase tenfold”.