Councillor hits out over A&E closure

Staff were told to finish on the 24th May and turn up at Antrim Hospital on 26th May without any word of how to get there, no explanation about shift patterns, nothing. If this is how the health board treats its staff then dear help anyone who needs any urgent medical attention.

The health board does not seem to realise that patients who need to travel to places like Antrim may have to take up to two buses to get there and two buses on the way back. The cost of this to someone on a low income will only add to their trauma. We all knew closure was inevitable, but to close a unit as important as Whiteabbey within a number of weeks with no thought leaves me astounded as a local councillor.

I was made aware of this closure whilst watching the news. It was as if someone made the decision and did not consider any of its ramifications. Surely staff should have been the first to be consulted.

The relocation in itself raises so many simple questions that have been left unanswered. What is being done to ensure there is enough bed space? There will be additional patients from Larne, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey and many more needing A&E attention alongside those from the Antrim area. The health board have removed a vital A&E service from Newtownabbey to create an overcrowded and noisy Antrim Area Hospital.

The board will save money, but at what cost to patient care and staff morale?

Alderman Billy Ball, DUP

Editor's note: The Northern Health Trust has stressed that the proposal to close Whiteabbey A&E was fully consulted on and approved by the Health Minister last year. Officials at the Trust have also claimed that downgrading services at Whiteabbey to a Minor Injuries Unit is a necessary move in order to ensure patient safety.