The Trust considers that this option would “maintain safe and effective care for our population and would provide a sustainable model for the future provision of general surgical services”. Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board onThursday morning, chief executive Jennifer Welsh said: “The main driver for change is sustainability of services at both sites. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
“We do not have any concern about the safety of our surgical service at present but our concern about sustainability could make a safe service difficult to maintain in the future. “We want to engage with as many people as possible to explain how we have arrived at this proposal for change and provide reassurance about the future of surgical services.” Currently the Northern Trust provides a range of surgeries at both Antrim and Causeway Hospitals.
These are: emergency general surgery, the treatment of patients for acute abdominal problems, soft tissue infections, bleeding and trauma; general surgery that focuses on diseases of the digestive tract and abdominal cavity; elective general surgery that is planned in advance such as gall bladder, hernia repair and other minor surgeries as well as major colorectal such as bowel resections often for the treatment of cancer and high volume surgery such as gall bladder removal. Advertisement Advertisement The De.