Causeway Hospital: Trust to review impact of maternity move

The review will focus on how the transfer of hospital births from Causeway to Antrim area hospital is affecting both staff and those in maternity care

The Northern Trust has offered to review how the transfer of hospital births from Causeway Hospital to Antrim Area Hospital is working.

The service moved from Coleraine in July following a decision by the Department of Health.

Clinicians had previously said resources were spread too thinly across the two sites.

The Northern Health Trust said the move was a "safer, more sustainable staffing model".

However, campaigners raised their concerns at a meeting with health officials on Tuesday.

SOS Causeway Hospital campaign group chairperson Gemma Brolly said she raised issues of "delayed inductions and caesareans and also staff welfare".

The meeting was attended by the Department of Health permanent secretary Peter May and the Northern Trust's chief executive Jennifer Welsh.

• Mums worried about births moving from Coleraine

• Midwives seeing 'far more' complicated pregnancies

The trust said the changes to its maternity services allowed staff "to continue providing the highest standard of inpatient maternity care and births at one, dedicated site".

However, it said it would continue to monitor the arrangements in place "to support the reconfiguration".

The internal review of services will focus on how the change is affecting both staff and those in maternity care.

Following the meeting, Ms Brolly said: "Whilst we are disappointed to hear our concerns are not yet recognised at senior level, we are slightly encouraged by the news that an internal review will take place at the two month mark.

"We are also relieved to hear concerns regarding staff wellbeing will be taken seriously."

The MP for East Londonderry, Gregory Campbell, said the Department of Health and the trust "repeated previous commitments to the maintenance of the local Hospital and it's vital services and we now want to see those commitments matched by deeds as well as words."