Northern Trust 'committed' to maintaining 24-hour Emergency Department at Causeway Hospital
The interim chief executive of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has reiterated the Trust’s commitment to Causeway Hospital in Coleraine and its Emergency Department (ED).
Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board, Suzanne Pullins stressed that there are “no proposals to close Causeway” and the Trust is “committed to maintaining the 24-hour Emergency Department and to maintaining Causeway”.
The interim chief executive’s comments come as the Department of Health considers a recommendation by the Northern Trust to centralise planned general surgery in the Trust at Causeway Hospital and emergency abdominal operations at Antrim Hospital. The board’s recommendation requires the approval of the Health Minister and Department of Health before it could be implemented.
Speaking at a meeting of Stormont’s Health Committee on August 20, Department of Health officials stressed the process is “not complete” and no decision has been made yet.
The Northern Trust covers Antrim and Newtownabbey, Mid and East Antrim, Mid-Ulster and Causeway Coast and Glens council areas
In response to a query by North Belfast Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister to Tracey McCaig, interim chief operating officer of the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG, if the Department plans to close the emergency department (ED) at Causeway Hospital, the Department of Health official replied: “No”.
At noon on Tuesday, September 2, there were 125 patients waiting in ED at Antrim Hospital and 50 at Causeway Hospital.
Sixty-one patients at Antrim and 16 at Causeway had been waiting more than 12 hours. During the previous 24-hour period, from midnight to midnight, there were 238 people in attendance at Antrim ED and 163 at Causeway.