Latest news with #NorthernHealthTrust
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Northern Trust recommends cutting emergency surgery from Causeway Hospital
Emergency General Surgery (EGS) is likely to be removed from Causeway Hospital, after the Northern Health Trust recommended providing the service at just one of its hospital Trust's board says its preference is that EGS be located at Antrim Area it is spread between the Antrim Area and Causeway recommendation follows a review and a public consultation. 'Extremely challenging' Senior management said that the duplication of services at both sites has put pressure on the hospitals and that the current system was "not sustainable".They said they were faced with two choices, either a managed planned change to services or a total collapse of those have taken the decision to manage that review included a 14-week long public consultation. According to the Trust, the public who responded were overwhelmingly against the change in services. However, the Trust say they believe the move is Chief Executive Jennifer Welsh described the review process as "extremely challenging".If the proposal is signed off by the Department of Health, plans to consolidate EGS at Antrim Area Hospital will go ahead. What is Emergency General Surgery? EGS looks after patients who require general surgical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment in an unplanned way, often following presentation in the would include emergency procedures like appendicitis or a blocked Causeway site will be used for elective general surgery. This is low complex surgery which can be planned, for example the removal of a is the case now, trauma patients, such as those that have been involved in road traffic accidents, will be transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for treatment.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
ADHD: Doctor being investigated over claims he charged NHS patients
A health trust is investigating claims a child psychiatrist may have charged patients for NHS has also launched a review into the work of the consultant paediatrician following complaints from parents over assessments for ADHD and of parents of children with ADHD and autism say they are in limbo after the doctor ceased seeing clients Anish Anish, who used to work for the Northern Health Trust, has strongly denied the allegation that he charged for NHS appointments. He said he was currently unwell and was unable to meet with parents as he would like to. The families affected used the private service because of a huge waiting list for children to be assessed and treated on the parents paid thousands of pounds for consultations with Dr Anish but say they have been left "distressed and upset" with no follow-up care or Anish said he wanted to meet the parents who have made complaints about him and to apologise to parent has alleged that she paid £850 for a consultation for what was in fact a free health service appointment at Antrim Area Northern Trust says it is helping parents who have been affected. It is understood its review is in relation to several dozen patients, with 18 cases reviewed to date. Dr Anish ran the private service ADHD/ASD Doctor, which appears not to be currently operating. Many parents used the company's website to use the service, but say it is not functioning at well as private work, the doctor carried out NHS work at the Northern Health Trust, but has subsequently left the parents have told the BBC that they are still waiting for documentation relating to private clinical assessments or confirmation of an ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis for their these, parents say they cannot move on and may have to start the process all over again by finding another private of the parents say they have paid around £850 for a diagnosis for their child, but have received just a verbal confirmation of an ADHD or ASD diagnosis. Some parents have paid to have several of their children parent, Sarah Herfield, said her nine-year-old son was prescribed medication after being assessed privately by Dr was under a shared-care agreement with her GP, receiving her son's medication from their GP through a script issued by Dr said this became an issue when Dr Anish closed his clinic and ceased contact with many of his patients in December Herfield had not received any documentation for her son's diagnosis so was unable to get a prescription issued elsewhere, leaving him without any said that after contacting the Department of Health, it apologised but said it was unable to become involved in the situation as it was under private healthcare. Social media platforms Another parent the BBC has spoken to said two of her children were seen by Dr Anish for ADHD and ASD said one of her children had an NHS appointment in Antrim Area Hospital with Dr Anish, yet was charged £850 for this ADHD child, aged eight at the time, was prescribed medication for ADHD at this appointment and was not scheduled to be seen again by Dr Anish for another six months.A number of families affected are from the Republic of parents have taken to social media platforms to be highly critical of the lack of service they have received from Dr Anish remains registered with the General Medical Northern Health Trust said: "Dr Anish is no longer employed by the Northern Trust."Having received a number of complaints from parents whose children were under Dr Anish's care while he was working for the trust, we have begun a retrospective case note review of patients who were seen by Dr Anish within the trust's paediatric service during a nine-week period at the end of last year."This review is being conducted at pace and is ongoing. The outcome will determine what, if any, further action is required by the trust."It said it was in contact with a number of families within the Northern Trust area whose children have been under the care of Dr Anish to ensure they received the appropriate care and support."We recognise that this situation has caused significant distress and anxiety for families, and we sincerely apologise for that," the trust said."With regards to any claim that patients have been charged for NHS appointments, this is something we are taking very seriously and we are looking into this."The BBC has contacted the solicitors' firm Dr Anish said was representing him on several occasions, but received no response.
