Tendered on https://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk, The removal of beds from Thompson House Signals the end of overnight inpatients at the Mid Ulster Hospital site unless the Northern Health & Social Care Trust and Health Minister follows recommendations as given to them by Save The Mid through the Compton review.
These recommendations included the reopening of Ward 2 at Mid Ulster for patients who did not require consultant care from Antrim & Causeway Hospitals, and reopening Ward 3 for the current patients in Thompson House. This is a
move that will increase bed capacity within the Trust, it was stated by Valarie Jackson, Director Of Acute Services Northern Health & Social Care Trust, in reply to the Rutter and Hinds Report on Antrim A&E that 90% of all waiters
are waiting as there are no beds available, Ward 2 in Mid Ulster would be best positioned to accommodate these patients.
A major concern has arose surrounding the use of Ward 2 at Mid Ulster due to the flooring within the ward being unsuitable for patients beds, this relatively new ward was shut in June 2011 and this problem was not cited as a
reason, there is dirty tricks going on here. As Thompson House patients require ambulance transport to get an X-ray in the main Hospital site by moving these
patients to Ward 3 at Mid Ulster will preserve human dignity and also make practical sense. In a FOI released to Save The Mid between Sept 2011-Dec 2011 had on average a 93.25% occupancy rate, proving the need for such a service in the Mid Ulster Hospital as this was during the bed crisis at Antrim Hospital.
What the people of Mid Ulster have witnessed are decisions which allegedly would give us better care or better services, which have led to some of the worst horror stories in health ever suffered by Mid Ulster residents.
However despite these proposal’s and the reality that when they shut the Mid Ulster hospital we did not get a better service, Magherafelt Council have agreed to fully downgrade Mid Ulster Hospital into a Health Centre, minutes of a meeting between Sean Donaghy, CEO of the NHSCT, and the council show that councillorsm agreed with these health centre plans.
Ian Milne “the battle to save the Mid Ulster Hospital had been lost”
Paul McLean “felt the department had the right idea – people wanted the best treatment at the best place. However there was no room for complacency and the local people had to be won over”
Save The Mid also attended a meeting in Mid Ulster Hospital where Magherafelt Council invited several charities to take part, there was not wide spread support at the meeting for the move, the meeting itself was poorly attended
and Save The mid met with Sean Donaghy CEO of the Trust after this to openly talk about the farce of a meeting, But as Magherafelt Council had already secretly agreed to these changes it does not matter what the community says or
does.