MLA suspects deliberate ‘wind down’ of paediatric care

Pat Ramsey has said he has carried the suspicions since the retirement of a lead Paediatric Orthopaedic Consultant from the Western area back in 2011. He has lodged a series of questions on the issue of provision of children’s orthopaedic services at Stormont since that point.

The MLA told the Sentinel: “I have monitored this closely since 2011 when it was clear that a lead Paediatric Consultant was going to be retiring, and the Western Trust had little in the way of a permanent replacement for the service in Altnagelvin. I am appalled that over two years on, the sticking plaster applied by the health service is still nowhere near acceptable as a level of service for my constiuents -with consultants seemingly able to pick and choose when to come from Belfast to Derry.”

A copy of a letter of response to Mr Ramsey from Chief Executive of the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), John Compton, dated September 26, 2011 addresses Mr Ramsey’s concerns about the retirement of the lead Paediatric Orthopaedic Consultant.

The letter states that the HSCB had outlined their commitment in a email to the MLA “to sustaining the Paediatric Orthopaedic Service on the Western Health and Social Care Trust site (Altnagelvin).

“In the short term this has raised a few challenges due to a national shortage of Paediatric Orthopaedic Consultants.

“This position of availability of specialist staff is unlikely to change over the next 2 to 3 years.”

Mr Ramsey says he now believes that even the temporary arrangement currently in place for the West may cease after the Christmas period.

He told the Sentinel: “I have been approached time and again about children’s cases that could be seen in Derry, having to go to Belfast with very frustrated parents- sometimes to sit with a consultant for ten minutes after reading over a scan taken in Altnagelvin.”

Overall figures for Paediatric Orthopaedic surgeon attendances in 2010-11 show that there were 1,398 New Outpatient cases, 1,069 Review Outpatient cases-a total of 2,467.

Pat Ramsey said: “It is totally unacceptable that we could be seeing the deliberate limiting of the service at Altnagelvin.”

The MLA said he has contacted the WHSCT for a meeting with the Chief Executive, its Chair and the Local Commissioning Group.

The Sentinel asked both the Western Health and Social Care Trust and the Health and Social Care Board for their views on Mr Ramsey’s contentions.

However, at the time of going to press neither organisation had given this paper a response.