Day surgery cancelled at Mid-Ulster Hospital in Magherafelt

Day surgery had to be cancelled at the Mid-Ulster Hospital in Magherafelt today because of a staffing crisis at Antrim Area Hospital, the Mail has learned.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jan 2015, 17:00 BST
Union spokesman Ray Rafferty said NI hospitals just managed to cope with demand last weekUnion spokesman Ray Rafferty said NI hospitals just managed to cope with demand last week
Union spokesman Ray Rafferty said NI hospitals just managed to cope with demand last week

Staff at the ‘Mid’ were redeployed to cover apparently high sickness levels at Antrim Hospital.

A spokesperson for the Northern Trust confirmed that day surgery at the Mid Ulster Hospital for three ENT patients listed for routine surgery was cancelled.

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“This action was taken to allow staff to be redeployed to provide additional nursing cover in Antrim Area Hospital as it experiences a significant increase in demand for unscheduled care.

“This is traditionally a busy time of the year in the hospital and the situation is continually reviewed to ensure that those who require emergency and urgent treatment are prioritised.”

The public can play a role in helping to ease the burden on busy emergency departments by only attending the Department if your case is an emergency. If it is not an emergency, patients should consider seeing their GP, GP out-of-hours service, pharmacist or attending the minor injuries unit at Mid-Ulster Hospital.