Call for 'risk assessment' on proposed maternity changes

Proposed changes to maternity services at Causeway Hospital will have a knock-on effect in the Mid Ulster area, a local activist has warned.

A consultation is set to be launched by the Northern Trust on either moving all maternity services from Causeway to Antrim Area Hospital or moving consultant-led services to Antrim and leaving a midwife-led unit in Coleraine.

Hugh McCloy was involved in the 'Save the Mid' campaign which lobbied for the return of acute services to Magherafelt's Mid Ulster Hospital.

He said the Trust's claim that centralising results in a better service is 'spin'.

“The big argument that was thrown to us was that if you want a better service, you'll travel for it,” he told the County Derry Post.

“Not one thing that they cut resulted in a better service elsewhere, it just resulted in chaos. The same thing happened with Omagh, in Down, in Lagan Valley.

“What they're saying about Causeway now is that we need to centralise maternity services to make it better is just another spin.”

When maternity services were removed from Mid Ulster, the absence of a NI Executive meant a risk assessment was commissioned by the British government.

“On the maternity side, it was only safe to take away the maternity in Mid Ulster if there was consultant-led maternity in Causeway and in Antrim,” said Hugh.

“So closing the maternity in Causeway doesn't just have implications for the people in Causeway, but for Mid Ulster too.

“There are many Mid Ulster service users of Causeway – people from Draperstown, Maghera, Slaughtneil, Swatragh – you have a big dispersed area there.

“If they take away that consultant-led unit, you're going to have more people to send to Antrim and it's already stuffed.

Services were scaled back at Mid Ulster Hospital in the mid-2000s.

“There will be a knock-on effect here where people in Mid Ulster are going to have to go up the Glenshane Pass to go to Altnagelvin and there's no mention of extra capacity there.

“If they shut those services down, they are putting a lot of people at risk unless there is huge investment in the ambulance service and within Antrim.”

A Northern Trust 'Considering the Options' paper seen by the County Derry Post has identified the two options on which consultation will be carried out.

The paper also identifies a number of locations that fall outside the 30-minute travel time to Antrim, including Kilrea, Draperstown, Coleraine, Garvagh and Castlerock.

It recommends 'targeted engagement' with these communities to address the difficulties.

The consultation process will run for 14 weeks – until March 3 2023 – with a number of 'listening events' due to be held.

When the consultation is complete, the Trust's senior management team will propose a final recommendation for approval by the Department of Health (DoH).

Hugh McCloy

Hugh McCloy said the Trust needed to tread carefully to ensure patient safety within the area.

“They need to stop and rethink what they are doing,” he said.

“If there are not going to be two consultant-led units, then an independent body need to come back in and put a risk assessment on it.

“It's not that everybody wants an all-singing all-dancing hospital on their back door; they just want a health service that is accessible and works.”

Meanwhile, Farmers for Action (FFA)'s steering committee has said they are 'furious' at what they said was an attempt to 'shut down' Causeway Hospital.

“ FFA are preparing to do battle on this as agriculture has currently the worse safety record of any industry across these islands,” said William Taylor.

“Coleraine Hospital has saved many lives over the years entirely due to its location.

“In addition, when you factor in the North West 200, other industries and the influx of tourists to the North Coast, Road Traffic Accidents and all others – one really has to question the competency of this Trust and the legality of what they are attempting to do,” he added.

Councillor left frustrated with 'secrecy' over Council business

The member raised concerns over the amount of business being held 'in committee'.

The Department of Health said it was aware of the 'fragility of the current configuration of services.'

"The Department fully understands the sensitivities and anxieties of individuals and communities that potential changes to services can create, and therefore requires Trusts to carry out extensive consultation prior to any planned change,” they said.

"Recommendations and proposals from the consultation will come to the Department for assessment. Central criteria in this assessment will be how best to provide safe and sustainable care that meets the needs of the community.

"Any permanent changes to services will require Ministerial/Departmental approval," they added.