East Londondery MLA Sugden raises concerns over winter pressures at Causeway Hospital
A local MLA has called for urgent action to protect patients and staff at Causeway Hospital ahead of winter, following a concerning report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).
East Londonderry independent MLA Claire Sugden made the call as a survey of emergency department clinical leads across Northern Ireland found that 100% of respondents considered their departments poorly or very poorly prepared for winter, while 88% reported greater pressures than this time last year.
Ms Sugden said: "These findings are deeply concerning, particularly for communities like ours where people rely heavily on Causeway Hospital for emergency care.
"We already know the pressures facing our health service, and the prospect of another winter of overcrowded emergency departments, lengthy waits and exhausted staff is extremely worrying.
"For people living in rural areas of East Londonderry, access to timely emergency care is particularly important, and we cannot allow existing pressures to put patients at further risk.
"The Royal College has highlighted serious problems with patients being unable to move from emergency departments into hospital beds, creating delays throughout the system.
"These are not new issues, but they cannot simply be accepted as inevitable. I want assurances from the Health Minister that Causeway Hospital has the staffing, bed capacity and support it needs to cope with increased winter demand.
"Our healthcare workers are already doing everything they can under enormous pressure, and they deserve a system that supports them. Winter comes every year, and we should be better prepared for it,” she concluded.