Public meeting to be held in Kilrea to address concerns surrounding the closure of Causeway Hospital's maternity services

A public meeting will take place this Tuesday, April 11, at 7.30pm, in Kilrea Town Hall in order to address the overwhelming concerns from so many people regarding the closure of services in Causeway Maternity Unit. 

We, the people, will not be railroaded into action which we do not support, action which affects the lives of so many.

People are extremely frustrated at how their feelings and opinions have been ignored following the recent “consultation” regarding the future of Causeway Maternity Services. It feels like this was a simple tick box for a done deal. We have spoken to so many people on their doorsteps with numerous concerns, midwives, nurses, mothers, fathers, all deeply concerned, not only at the closure of Causeway Maternity Unit but at the nature in which this has been carried out.  In hindsight, the previous consultation now feels patronising.

Many many families are extremely alarmed at the thought of no longer having access to medical services, services which they are paying for.

There are many valid common sense questions which have not been answered to the satisfaction of the community, such as the issue of recruitment which has been highlighted as a leading cause for the proposed closure, there are no guarantees as of yet that there will be sufficient staff available to accommodate the additional number of births in Antrim Area Hospital, never mind the practicalities such as room for everyone, given the proposed extension is not expected to be started for another 5-7 years at least.

We refuse to be ignored and to stand by and allow such injustice in our communities. We must ensure all concerns, all our questions are answered appropriately before any further action is taken regarding Causeway Maternity. We will not allow this ‘cart before the horse’ approach to continue, endangering lives of mothers and babies. We would encourage anyone wishing to ensure genuine concerns are acknowledged and questions are answered to a satisfactory standard, to come along to the Causeway Maternity Campaign Public Meeting on Tuesday 11th April 2023 at 7:30pm in Kilrea Town Hall. We, the people, will not be railroaded into action which we do not support, action which affects the lives of so many.