THE Mater Hospital is to remain the designated Covid-19 hospital in Belfast for the ‘next six months’, it can be revealed.
The Crumlin Road site was chosen by the Belfast Trust as the main hospital for treating patients with Covid-19 in the city following the outbreak of the virus last March.
This week, a Sinn Féin delegation met with Dr Cathy Jack, CEO of the Belfast Trust, regarding concerns that services relocated during the pandemic won’t be returned.
Speaking after the meeting, North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín said: “Sinn Fein representatives met with Dr Cathy Jack, CEO of the Belfast Trust to discuss concerns we’ve raised on behalf of patients and workers about the future security of health services in the Mater Hospital.
“We were assured that the Mater Hospital remains a central aspect of the Belfast Trust and that services relocated during the pandemic will return as soon as possible however for the next six months the Mater will remain the Covid centre for the Belfast Trust.
“We have agreed to keep the situation under review with quarterly meetings to assess progress and to monitor any developments.
“Clearly the unacceptable waiting lists for surgery during the Covid crisis means that centring the Covid response at the Mater Hospital enables the other hospitals to focus on tackling those waiting lists.
“The Mater Hospital must return to its former role in the provision of services in the city and we will remain focused on ensuring there is no stripping of services from the Mater while the priorities of the pandemic require the relocation of those services.
“We also raised the issues of the Dr Watt neurology enquiry and were pleased that those patients with concerns about subsequent developments on this issue will be met by the Belfast Trust.
“I’ve also recently been approached by groups providing community mental health services regarding concerns about cuts in funding for these vital services.
“The work these groups do is remarkable and their contribution during the pandemic has been essential.
“We made our concerns and those of the sector crystal clear to Dr Cathy Jack and look forward to a response from the Belfast Trust.
“These are very difficult times for the health service and the work of our front-line health workers is truly heroic, we are forever in their debt.
“Sinn Fein’s priority is to set a pathway out of this crisis and to ensure that necessary temporary measures to manage the pandemic don’t impact upon the long-term future of services, particularly at the Mater Hospital.”
A spokesperson for the Belfast Trust said: "Over the past 12 months it has been the priority of the Belfast Trust and wider HSC to provide front line care to those patients most ill with Covid-19.
"To achieve this the Mater Hospital was designated as the Covid-19 Hospital for Belfast on 23 March 2020 and this will continue for at least the next six months. This will support us as we remain flexible to prioritise any potential increase in admissions for Covid-19. It will also ensure we can begin the process of re-establishing services at our other sites to ensure patients on other treatment pathways receive the care they need.
"The Mater has played, and continues to play, an important and pivotal role in the fight against Covid-19."
