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Ambulances diverted from Belfast's Mater Hospital

An ambulance leaves the Mater Hospital in north Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
An ambulance leaves the Mater Hospital in north Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann An ambulance leaves the Mater Hospital in north Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

THE accident and emergency department at the Mater Hospital in north Belfast was closed to new patients last night due to a shortage of consultants.

The department was closed to new patients between 6pm yesterday and 8am today.

Over the weekend, sick children attending A&E at the Mater will be redirected to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, the Belfast Trust said.

It is understood the decisions were taken following a meeting of medical staff.

In a statement the Belfast Trust said its "emergency departments work together and a temporary ambulance divert is an appropriate mitigating action and ensures those patients who arrive by ambulance - and who are often in greatest need - are seen in a timely way".

"A temporary arrangement to divert out of hours ambulances from the Mater Hospital's emergency department to the Royal Victoria Hospital's ED is in place at present for ambulances arriving between 6pm through to 8am," she said.

The Trust said the arrangement will be kept under review.

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly said the decision was taken "because of a shortage of consultants".

"The Mater has a pressing need to fill consultants posts so the Accident and Emergency unit can remain open round the clock," he said.

"The Trust has assured me that the Mater Accident and Emergency Unit is essential to meet the needs of patients in the city.

"I will be doing a meeting early next week to discuss the pressures on the hospital and I am calling for consultancy posts to be filled as soon as possible so the Mater can meet the demand on A&E."

SDLP North Belfast Councillor Patrick Convery said he was concerned about "what seems like an attempt to shut down services by stealth".

"The A&E at the Mater is a critical unit and must be protected from any attempt to restrict services," he said.