Politicians react to news of future of Causeway maternity services - Archibald

Speaking following a meeting with the Northern Trust where they set out their proposal for a public consultation on Maternity Services Sinn Fein East Derry MLA Caoimhe Archibald said: “Maternity services provide vital care to women during what is often one of the most important and most challenging experiences of their lives.

“It is important that the health needs of women in the locality are fully met and they receive care that ensures they get the best health outcomes possible.

“Any public consultation needs to be meaningful by setting out fully and clearly the evidence informing proposed options and engaging directly with the community, patients and staff.

“I would encourage everyone have their say in the consultation and express their views on the future of maternity services in the Northern Trust.”

Independent East Londonderry MLA Claire Sugden has said a safe maternity service must be retained at Causeway Hospital and urged locals to put forward their views in a public consultation on the future of the service.

Ms Sugden also attended a Northern Trust briefing on Monday (November 21).

“Several factors have led to this outcome, including low birth rates, particularly on the north coast with its increasingly ageing population,” Ms Sugden said.

“Decommissioning of services in Causeway over the years has also meant that many births cannot happen here due to the risk involved. We do not have a neonatal unit, so mothers who experience gestational diabetes for example, already give birth in Antrim Area Hospital – the site which will be expected to take on any maternity services which may no longer be able to be provided at Causeway.

“The particular issue for Causeway is recruitment of consultants. Consultants prefer to work in higher populated hospitals to enhance their skills and opportunities. While Causeway delivers around 900 babies per year, a small maternity unit is anything less than 3,500 births. Causeway was unable to recruit a consultant in a recent campaign.”

Ms Sugden said changes to maternity services had felt “inevitable” for a long time. The upcoming consultation was due to be published a few years ago, but was delayed due to the pandemic.

“I understand the consultation will suggest two options,” she continued. “Option one is to remove all consultant-led births to Antrim – around 600 or 700 per year. Alongside this, Causeway would develop a Freestanding Midwifery Unit for 200 to 300 low intervention births – essentially midwife care and birth for low-risk mothers and their baby. They would also retain early pregnancy assessment units, antenatal and postnatal clinics.

“Option 2 is that all births move to Antrim, with just early pregnancy assessment units, antenatal and postnatal clinics retained in Causeway.

“My preference is to ensure a safe maternity service in Causeway for all patients, so I will be supporting, at minimum, Option one. I am, however, conscious of other factors which many of my constituents will be thinking about, including accessibility and transport to Antrim, so certainly, I want to hear everyone’s views.”

She added: “The consultation will last for 14 weeks, with a decision expected in March or April next year. It is not a decision at this stage, but rather a consultation, so I would encourage you to share your views – mothers, expectant mothers, families, staff and anyone affected by these proposed changes.”

North Antrim Ulster Unionist Assembly Member and former Minister of Health Robin Swann has urged people to engage with the Northern Trust consultation.

Assembly Member Swann said: “This news is understandably going to be very worrying for families living in the general Causeway area and so it’s important that the Northern Health and Social Care Trust respond quickly, openly and honestly with them.

“Whilst there may be a smaller number of births in Causeway hospital each year compared to the hospital in Antrim, my clear preferred option in the upcoming consultation exercise would be that if the consultant led maternity service must end that a local service should still be maintained through a midwifery led unit.

“In addition, by utilising a hub and spoke model, consultants could also still travel to the Causeway hospital to deliver antenatal and postnatal clinics on the site.

“Given the known pressures on the Antrim Hospital site, I believe moving all births and inpatient maternity services away from the Causeway site would be a mistake at this time.

“One of the assurances I will also be seeking from the Northern Trust is that any change to their maternity service has already been considered as part of overall regional planning.

“For instance, it’s important that before a single change is made within the Causeway service that all possible implications on other sites, including its closest neighbouring hospital at Altnagelvin, have been fully considered. Northern Ireland is too small and this issue is too important for Trusts to be working in isolation from one another.

“Causeway Hospital is an excellent facility with a brilliant team of dedicated staff. It’s essential that the upcoming consultation period is not used by others as an opportunity to run down or demoralise those that work there.

“As the former Minister I already told the Trusts that as part of sustainably getting on top of our waiting times in particular, we should be utilising every square foot of space to its full potential across every hospital site. That must include the Causeway hospital,” said Assembly Member Swann.