Changes to services at Whiteabbey are essential, claims Trust chief

THE Northern Health Trust's Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine has denied suggestions that Whiteabbey Hospital is being closed down.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th May 2010, 10:28 BST
Updated 19th May 2010, 13:50 BST

There has been widespread criticism of the Trust's sudden announcement last week that the local Accident and Emergency unit will shut on May 24, and that cardiology services will also be removed from the Doagh Road site. But Dr Olivia Dornan has denied that the move amounts to closure of Whiteabbey, describing the decision to axe the hospital's A&E unit as "reprofiling the sort of cases the hospital deals with."

She stressed that "the emergency medical component of the service is being removed for safety reasons" as the Trust has been unable to replace essential personnel.

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Responding to suggestions that Antrim A&E will be unable to cope with additional patient numbers as a result of the closure of the units at Whiteabbey and Mid-Ulster, Dr Dornan stressed that that is definitely not the case.

"We are enlarging the department at Antrim and providing additional floor space that will allow us to put a proper 10-bed ward into the heart of Antrim A&E.

"Staff will also be moved to the Antrim site, and that will enable us to have more doctors and nurses where the patients are.

"I can reassure people that things are going in the right direction. We might have some teething troubles at the start, but I am expecting us to be able to cope better as a result of this move - I am extremely confident about that," she said.

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Echoing Dr Dornan's comments, Colm Donaghy, Chief Executive of the Northern Trust added: "Senior clinical staff have raised serious concerns that the Trust can no longer guarantee that acute medical and Accident and Emergency Services can be safely maintained at Whiteabbey and Mid-Ulster hospitals. We have no option but to move quickly and relocate some services.

"Over the next few months the remaining acute medical beds from Whiteabbey and high dependency beds from Mid Ulster will also transfer."

The new Minor Injuries Unit at Whiteabbey, which will be able to deal with cases such as cuts, burns, sprains and fractures (around 70 per cent of cases the department currently deals with), will be open from 9am on May 24 at the current A&E site. The nurse-led service will be open on a 9am to 5pm basis.

Dr Dornan said that the new department is designed to deal with "the walking wounded" over five years of age, and stressed that anyone who experiences sudden serious illness or injury should still attend their nearest Accident and Emergency unit.

For more coverage and reaction see this week's Times...