Public invited to have their say on proposed changes at Antrim Area Hospital

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is launching a 14-week public consultation on proposals to transform its general surgery services.

At a meeting of the Board of the Northern Trust this week, the Trust’s senior management outlined an evidence-based case for change, proposing to centralise emergency general surgery at Antrim Area Hospital, while the majority of elective general surgery - meaning planned surgery and procedures - will take place at Causeway Hospital.

A statement said that review of general surgery within the Northern Trust is made necessary by a number of factors including workforce challenges, which have made it increasingly difficult to maintain the required levels of staffing to deliver all aspects of general surgery services across two sites.

Additionally, the Trust said that new Departmental standards for emergency and elective surgery contained within the Department of Health’s 2022 Review of General Surgery, cannot be fully met without service reconfiguration.

The 14-week public consultation will open on Friday 23 August until Friday 29 November, 2024.

A series of public engagement sessions will take place, giving people the opportunity to ask questions to members of the Trust’s senior management team about the proposed change.

The local meeting will take place on Wednesday October 9 at , 7pm in the Dunsilly Hotel, Antrim

There will also be an online engagement session on Tuesday 1 October at 7pm for anyone unable to attend the in-person events.

More information is available on the Trust’s website https://www. northerntrust.hscni. net/generalsurgeryconsultation