Edwin Poots knows this ward exists, as Save The Mid spoke of this ward in a face to face meeting with Save The Mid.
CEO Sean Donaghy of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust also recognises the existence of this new corridor ward, when asked by Save The Mid on this ward, at Trust Board, Sean Donaghy spent some time explain to the board the location of the wards that are in the below assembly question. This discussion was held in Fern House, Antrim Area Hospital at the monthly Trust board meeting.
Why now is the Health Minister saying it does not exist? There are real human beings inside this ward and to deny them is to deny the the Dignity of treatment that they should receive post the Rutter & Hinds report.
Antrim Area Hospital Admissions
Mr McClarty asked the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in relation to the performance figures on emergency care published by his Department, to detail the number of patients at the Antrim Area Hospital admitted to the (i) short stay ward; (ii) clinical decision ward; and (iii) corridor ward located outside the clinical decision ward, between 1 September 2011 and 30 April 2012. (AQW 12478/11-15)
Mr Poots:
(i) Between 1 September 2011 and 30 April 2012, 614 patients left the Antrim Area Hospital
Emergency Department to be admitted to the short stay ward.
(ii) The ‘clinical decision ward’ within the Antrim Area hospital, closed in June 2011.
(iii) There is no ‘corridor ward located outside the clinical decision ward’ within the Antrim Area
Hospital.
.