Trust Board approves recommendation on future of general surgery service
The Board of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has today approved a recommendation on the future delivery of its general surgery service.
At a public meeting, held at The Braid in Ballymena, members of the Board approved a recommendation to centralise emergency general surgery at Antrim Area Hospital, while the majority of elective general surgery (planned surgery and procedures) will be provided at Causeway Hospital.
It follows a 14-week public consultation on the proposals that took place between August and November, last year.
The Board’s recommendation requires the approval of the Health Minister and Department of Health before it can be implemented.
Speaking at today’s meeting, Chief Executive Jennifer Welsh said: “When we first began this process, we gave a commitment that proposals for any new model would be based on the evidence and data that is available to us, and that is what we have presented here today. The work done by our teams to get us to this point has been painstaking.
“I know there is tremendous depth of feeling on this issue, including from some of our own staff, and throughout the consultation period we have met with a wide range of stakeholders, and heard concerns from our local community about our proposals to transform how we deliver general surgery services.
“Put simply: we cannot continue to provide emergency general surgery across both our acute sites. If we do not act now and plan for service change, we are facing an inevitable collapse. I do not say that to scaremonger or cause alarm; I’m saying this because it is the very difficult reality we are faced with.”
Ms Welsh thanked members of the community for engaging with the consultation.
“The comments and feedback we received during the consultation period, and indeed throughout this whole process, have been invaluable, and I would like to thank people for taking the time to respond to the consultation,” she said.
“It provided us with fresh insights and new perspectives, allowing us to go away and interrogate the data and dig deeper to give ourselves the assurances we need that this is the correct course of action.
“As a Board, we believe the recommendation being made today is the best model for our general surgery service moving forward.”
Gillian Traub, Director of Operations at the Northern Trust, added: “We accept that what we are recommending today as a Board, will not be welcomed by some in our local community who have raised very genuine concerns about any proposed change.
“Should service change go ahead, we will do all we can to build public trust and confidence by ensuring that the transition to a new model will be as smooth as possible, for both our patients and staff. As senior leaders, we would not be recommending this if we didn’t believe it is the right thing to do and, importantly, necessary; to ensure we continue to provide safe services for our community, and a stable, sustainable general surgery service for the future.
Consultant surgeon James Patterson said the new delivery model would create better training opportunities and make Causeway Hospital a more attractive location for staff.
Mr Patterson said: “It’s important to say that, under the recommended proposal, general surgery will not be removed from Causeway Hospital. This is about separating out emergency general surgery from elective procedures so that we can ensure elective theatre time at Causeway is protected.
“Should service change go ahead, it creates an opportunity for Causeway to become an elective hub, and this could really start to make a difference when it comes to tackling lengthy waiting lists. The new proposed service model would also give surgical trainees access to protected theatre time in elective surgery, while also allowing them to have exposure to emergency general surgery during their rotation at Antrim Area Hospital.”
Chief Executive Jennifer Welsh stressed that the proposed change to general surgery would have no bearing on the Trust’s “unwavering and continuing commitment” to Causeway Hospital.
“Our Vision and ambition for Causeway remains. We have an unwavering and continuing commitment to the hospital, our workforce and wider community,” said Ms Welsh.
“Causeway Hospital’s future is secure. It is, and will remain, an important part of our Trust’s acute network, and an important part of the region’s acute hospital network. This proposal does not change that.
“We are also fully committed to maintaining a 24/7 Emergency Department and acute inpatient services at Causeway.
“By reshaping our general surgery service, we believe Causeway Hospital is perfectly positioned to become an elective hub for the entire North West. We are keen to see further investment in expanding and enhancing services at the hospital and we hope we will have the support of our local community when it comes to driving that vision forward.”
Today’s recommendation by the Board of the Northern Trust will now be formally submitted to the Department of Health for consideration by the Health Minister.
There will be no change to the current delivery model until a decision is reached by the Health Minister.
The thematic analysis of all the consultation feedback received and Trust responses are set out in the Consultation Feedback Report.
22nd May 2025
