North's A&E Resources Back In Focus

With the 'temporary' closure of accident and emergency (A&E) facilities at Belfast City Hospital looming, the Stormont Health Minister Edwin Poots has again moved to assure stakeholders that his primary aim is to maintain the provision of high quality care and treatment.

Yesterday, he met with senior staff of the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.

Among topics discussed were, reform and modernisation proposals, Lagan Valley Hospital and service delivery issues pertaining to the Trust.

The DUP Minister said: "Discussions between myself and the trusts are extremely important.

"I remain acutely aware of the significant challenges the health service faces in delivering the services that people need and like all our healthcare providers, the difficult decisions that it will be necessary to take to maintain the provision of high quality care and treatment.

"I want to reiterate that I am fully committed to the provision of the best available healthcare for all our patients not just in the South Eastern Trust Area but throughout the whole of Northern Ireland."

During his visit the Minister toured the Emergency Department, Regional Plastic and Maxillo Facial Surgery Unit and the Maternity Unit at the east Belfast hospital.

Mr Poots concluded: "I am very impressed by the enhanced facilities and with the dedicated staff at the hospital, who continue to work diligently to provide the very best of care to the local population."

Edwin Poots previously met a delegation of MLAs from south Belfast to discuss A&E services in Belfast City Hospital to tell them that a shortage of junior doctors had put a question mark over the viability of the unit.

The emphasis looks like being instead on the two other accident and emergency units serving Belfast - the Mater Hospital and the Royal, prompting the SDLP Health Spokesperson Mark H Durkan to say there should be a legal obligation on hospitals to have at least one senior doctor on duty in A&E units at all times.

The Foyle MLA said: "There must be better management of junior doctors to ensure that they receive adequate experience to equip them to work in A&E units and to meet the needs of A&E services now and in the future.

"It is also vital that we have highly qualified experienced staff on duty in our hospitals to ensure the best standard of care is given to patients.

"The SDLP believes there should be a statutory obligation on trusts to ensure that all A&E departments are staffed with at least one senior doctor at all times," he said, noting: "We believe that the Government's emphasis has to be on keeping people out of A&E by investing in primary care within communities and focusing on health promotion.

"I am hopeful that, following meetings with the Health Board, the alarming shortage of junior doctors will be redressed over the coming years," he concluded.

Previously, there was turmoil over the daily 8pm closure of the Lisburn A&E's facility and the launch of a so-far unsuccessful campaign to fight proposed complete closure of the A&E at Belfast City Hospital, due to a shortage of staff - but 'dressed-up' as a temporary measure - to take effect at the end of September.

Earlier this month, the Belfast Health Trust warned that unless it could fill a number of senior staff vacancies at the City Hospital that it would have to close on a temporary basis from the end of next month. It is anticipated this would in fact be a permanent move.

See: Battle To Save A&Es Gets Underway

(BMcC/GK)