Minor injury unit closure proposal leads to protest

Protestors gathered outside the public meeting on Monday night

A proposal to close two minor injuries units in Ards and North Down has been met with opposition by protesters.

Politicians and members of the public were among those voicing their concerns ahead of a public meeting held by the South Eastern Health Trust.

It has proposed closing the nurse-led units in Newtownards and Bangor to make way for an urgent care centre at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.

It said the move would provide a more comprehensive service.

Under the proposal, a consultant-led urgent care centre would operate alongside, but separate from, the Ulster Hospital's emergency department.

But independent councillor Ray McKimm told BBC News NI it could mean greater risk for patients.

He said the minor injury units provided a service where people could get treated quickly and efficiently.

"A mother can ring at 10 in the morning with a child who is ill or injured. She can be seen within the hour, maybe discharged and reassured within 45 minutes," he said.

"The alternative for her is travelling further. Not only travelling further, the problems of trying to park.

"And then as we've seen already at the A&E, sometimes waiting all day and all night to see a practitioner that she might not even need to see, because a nurse here in Ards could have dealt with her efficiently and quickly right on site."

Councillor Ray McKimm is against the plans to close both units

The South Eastern Trust launched a 12-week public consultation on the future of urgent and emergency care services in the Ards and North Down area in February.

It held a public meeting on Monday night to discuss its proposals, but was criticised for giving members of the public only one opportunity to meet face-to-face.

Two other meetings are scheduled, but they are to take place online.

Retired nurse Patricia Jones said elderly and vulnerable people in Bangor and Newtownards were not having their voices heard.

She said the trust had failed to consider whether its proposals would work for the community.

"There have been massive responses on social media, there's been people putting forward their concerns and they've been dismissed out of hand," she said.

"I think it's cruel and unfair."

Assembly member Alex Easton said about 25,000 people could be affected by the closures

Independent assembly member Alex Easton said about 12,000 people used the minor injuries unit in Bangor every year, and about 13,000 used the Ards unit.

"You're basically shoving 20,000-odd people up to the Ulster who just don't have the facilities," he said.

He and others argued that the move could lead to increased pressure at the Ulster Hospital's emergency department - although this is something the trust rejects.

Senior emergency department consultant, Dr Andrew Dobbin, said: "Having the new consultant-led urgent care centre alongside the emergency department at the Ulster Hospital would give easy access to medical assessment and clinical investigations."

He added that it would provide the population with a more comprehensive service than is currently available and ensure that the service is more sustainable for the future.

Under the proposal, the service at the Ulster Hospital would have longer opening hours.

It would also mean access to advanced imaging, with speciality teams on site.