Working with you to transform general surgery
The Board of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has approved a recommendation on the future delivery of its general surgery service.
At a public meeting, held at The Braid in Ballymena on 22 May 2025, members of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust 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.
This follows a 14-week public consultation on the proposals that took place between August and November, last year. All comments and feedback we received during the consultation period have been thematically analysed and included in our consultation feedback report.
The recommendation of the Board 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 Trust’s Vision and ambition for Causeway Hospital remains. We have an unwavering and continuing commitment to the hospital, our workforce and wider community.
Causeway Hospital is, and will remain, an important part of our Trust’s acute network, and an important part of the region’s acute hospital network.
We are also fully committed to maintaining a 24/7 Emergency Department and acute inpatient services at Causeway.
Consultation documents
The thematic analysis of all the consultation feedback received and Trust responses are set out in the Consultation Feedback Report.
Letter from our Chief Executive (PDF)
Working with you to transform general surgery: Consultation document (PDF)
This document sets out our shared understanding of what is driving change and why we need to transform our general surgery service.
Other accessible formats: Consultation document (HTML), Consultation Document (Easy Read)
Working with you to transform general surgery: Considering our options paper (PDF)
This document describes in detail the options we have considered and our assessment of the best way forward.
Other accessible formats: Considering our options paper (HTML)
In keeping with the commitments in our Equality Scheme, we have carried out an Equality Impact Assessment of this proposal.
Equality Impact Assessment (PDF)
As required under the Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016 we have carried out a Rural Needs Impact Assessment.
Rural Needs Impact Assessment (PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions (HTML), Frequently Asked Questions in PDF
Related information
Causeway Hospital Strategic Vision (HTML)
Alternative Formats
If you have any queries about the consultation documents, and their availability in alternative formats (including Braille, disk, audio and minority languages) then please contact the Equality Unit on equality.unit@northerntrust.hscni.net or telephone 028 2766 1377.
This document can be made available in minority ethnic languages, on request, to meet the needs of those not fluent in English.
Polish: Aby wyjść naprzeciw potrzebom osób, które nie mówią biegle po angielsku, ten Plan Działania może być udostępniony w językach mniejszości etnicznych na życzenie.
Lithuanian: Šis veiksmų Planas pareikalavus gali būti pateiktas tautiniu mažumu kalbomis, kad atitiktų sklandžiai nemokančių anglų kalbos poreikius.
Portuguese: O Plano de Ação está disponível, à pedido, em outras línguas, para atender às necessidades das pessoas que não são fluentes na língua Inglesa.
Tetum: Aksaun Planu ida né,se bele fo ou halo iha liafuan etnika minoria sira nian, nebe bele husu, para bele ajuda ba ema sira nebe la hatene koalia lian Inglés.
Latvian: Šis darbības plāns var būt pieejams mazākumtautību valodās pēc pieprasījuma, lai palīdzētu tiem, kam ir nepietiekamas angļu valodas zināšanas.
Russian: Сейчас план проводимой работы может быть доступен так же на языках этнических меньшинств, по просьбе тех, кто не владеет свободно английским языком.
Czech: ‘Aby byly uspokojeny potřeby těch, kteří nemluví plynule anglicky, je možné tento návrh Akčního plánu na požádání poskytnout v jazycích etnických menšin.’
Slovak: Tento Akčný Plán môže byť na požiadanie dostupný v jazykoch národnostných menšín z dôvodu zabezpečenia potrieb tých, ktorí nie sú spôsobilí mu porozumieť v angličtine.
Chinese- (Cantonese):這行動計劃草案將會根據需求被翻譯成各種小數族裔語言去迎合那些英語不流利的人士的需要。
