North Coast politicians accused of spreading ‘disinformation’ and ‘peddling myths’ over future of Causeway Hospital as emergency surgery debate looms

Alliance Party councillors on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council have launched a blistering attack on political rivals, accusing them of prioritising “likes on social media” over patient safety and spreading “disinformation” about the future of Coleraine’s Causeway Hospital. Councillor Lee Kane and Alderman Yvonne Boyle spoke out ahead of a full council meeting on September 1, where members were due to debate a DUP-tabled motion calling on the Health Minister to “overturn the decision to remove emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital”. The Alliance representatives insisted that the debate must be grounded in clinical evidence rather than political point-scoring, and warned that the real choice facing the north coast is between a planned, clinically led reconfiguration of services or the “real risk of a service failure that could jeopardise patient care and safety right across the Trust area”.

At the heart of the controversy is the Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s proposal to consolidate emergency general surgery at Antrim Area Hospital, a move that has provoked anger and anxiety in Coleraine and the surrounding area. Local campaigners, DUP politicians and some members of the public have argued that removing emergency surgery from Causeway Hospital would downgrade the site, increase journey times for seriously ill patients, and undermine the viability of the wider hospital. The DUP motion, tabled for the September 1 meeting, sought to apply political pressure on the Health Minister to reverse the decision. However, Alliance councillors have pushed back forcefully, arguing that the proposal is not a downgrade but a necessary clinical reconfiguration designed to improve outcomes and ensure the long-term sustainability of safe, high-quality services across the Northern Trust area.

Councillor Lee Kane, an Alliance representative for the Coleraine area, acknowledged the deep public anxiety surrounding the proposals but said it was essential to have an “honest conversation” based on facts and clinical evidence. He directly criticised the DUP and other parties for what he described as a campaign of misinformation, saying that surgeons and senior health leaders had been clear about the need for change. “Despite what the self-appointed experts in the DUP and some other parties may say, surgeons and other senior health leaders have been clear: the choice we are facing is between a planned, clinically led reconfiguration of services in the Northern Trust, or the real risk of a service failure that could jeopardise patient care and safety right across the Trust area,” Kane said. He added that health experts had told the public that the consolidation of emergency general surgery at Antrim Area Hospital was in the best interest of patients, and that clinical expertise should be the basis for decision-making, not “disinformation from political representatives who are prioritising likes on social media over the safety of our constituents”.

Kane’s comments reflect a broader frustration within the Alliance Party that the emergency surgery issue has become a political football, with some parties using the controversy to generate public anger rather than engaging seriously with the clinical realities facing the health service. He stressed that he understood why residents felt uncertain and anxious about such a major potential change to local health services, and acknowledged concerns about what it might mean for the care of patients and their loved ones. But he argued that those concerns should not be exploited by politicians seeking to score cheap points. “That is why it is so important to have an honest conversation about these proposals, based on the facts and clinical evidence,” he said. The Alliance councillor also pointed to the wider context of a health service under enormous strain, with rising waiting lists, workforce shortages, and increasing demand for emergency care. He said doing nothing was not an option, because allowing services to continue to deteriorate would risk eventual collapse and put patients in greater danger.

Alderman Yvonne Boyle, the Alliance Party’s Coleraine councillor and a long-standing advocate for local health services, joined Kane in challenging what she described as the “myths” being peddled about Causeway Hospital’s future. She dismissed claims that the hospital was being run down, pointing to recent investment in new equipment, including a new £2 million MRI scanner, as well as the recruitment of additional consultants and extra elective care funding. Boyle said the council had already received assurances from the Northern Trust about its commitment to maintaining a 24/7 accident and emergency department at Causeway Hospital, and said the Alliance would continue to hold the Trust to account over that commitment. “Any suggestion that Causeway is being run down, or that changes to emergency general surgery will make it harder to keep staff at the site, are categorically untrue,” she said. “We wouldn’t support the reconfiguration process if they were.”

Boyle also used the opportunity to highlight the everyday struggles faced by patients and families across the north coast, including difficulties accessing GP services, long waiting lists for elective surgery, and delayed discharges caused by a lack of adequate community social care. She said these were the real issues affecting people’s lives, and argued that the debate over emergency surgery should not distract from the urgent need to address the systemic problems facing the health service. “Every day I hear from constituents frustrated by our health service,” she said. “Whether that’s difficulties accessing GP services, long waiting lists for elective surgery, or delayed discharges due to lack of adequate community social care. We know that to do nothing is to allow the service to continue to deteriorate, risking eventual collapse.” For Boyle, health transformation is not an abstract concept but a practical necessity, requiring difficult decisions to improve patient care and ensure that services remain safe and sustainable in the long term. She said her party was willing to make those decisions, but expressed disappointment that other parties were not doing likewise.

The debate at the council meeting comes at a time of intense political controversy over the future of hospital services in Northern Ireland, with several trust areas considering major changes to how and where care is delivered. The Northern Trust has argued that the proposed consolidation of emergency general surgery is supported by clinical evidence showing that patients have better outcomes when treated at larger, higher-volume specialist centres. Consultants and surgical teams have also raised concerns about the safety of maintaining emergency surgery at small sites with low patient volumes and difficulty recruiting enough specialist staff. The Trust has insisted that Causeway Hospital will retain a 24/7 emergency department, meaning patients with medical emergencies, heart attacks, strokes and other serious conditions would still be treated there. However, patients requiring emergency general surgery — such as those with appendicitis, bowel obstructions or traumatic abdominal injuries — would be transferred to Antrim Area Hospital, where surgical teams are available around the clock.

Opponents of the plan have argued that the transfer of emergency surgery is the first step towards a broader downgrading of Causeway Hospital, and have demanded that the Health Minister intervene to stop the process. DUP representatives on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council have repeatedly raised concerns about the potential impact on the local population, including increased journey times for patients and families, and the risk that delays in transferring critically ill patients could lead to worse outcomes. They have also warned that removing emergency surgery could make it harder to recruit and retain doctors and nurses at the hospital, undermining the viability of other services. In response, Alliance councillors have accused the DUP of trying to score political points at the expense of patient safety, and have called on all parties to listen to the clinical experts rather than fuelling public alarm.

The row has also highlighted the tense relationship between the borough council and the Northern Trust, with some councillors accusing health officials of failing to properly consult the public before making decisions about the future of local services. The Trust, for its part, has insisted that it has engaged extensively with staff, patients and the community, and that the proposals are the result of a lengthy clinical review process. The Health Minister, who is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the health service, has yet to make a final decision on the future of emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital. The DUP motion, if passed by the council, would add further political pressure on the Minister to overturn the Trust’s decision. However, Alliance councillors have made clear that they will not support the motion, arguing that it is based on misinformation and does not reflect the reality of patient needs or clinical expertise.

The broader context is one of unprecedented pressure on Northern Ireland’s health service, with record waiting lists, chronic staff shortages, and growing demand for services. Hospital trusts across the region are grappling with how to deliver safe and sustainable services in the face of limited funding and an ageing population. The reconfiguration of services, while controversial, is seen by many health leaders as an essential part of the answer. The Northern Trust’s approach, which focuses on centralising complex emergency surgery in a smaller number of specialist centres while maintaining local access to urgent and emergency care, reflects a wider trend in the NHS across the United Kingdom. Clinical experts have argued that centralising services leads to better outcomes for patients, particularly for those undergoing complex or high-risk operations, because consultants and support staff gain more experience and can work as part of larger multidisciplinary teams.

At the same time, however, there is widespread recognition that centralisation must not come at the expense of accessibility, especially in rural areas where patients already face long journeys to hospital. The challenge for policymakers and health officials is to strike the right balance between safety, quality and access. In the case of Causeway Hospital, the Trust has tried to address these concerns by emphasising its commitment to the emergency department and to expanding elective care at the site. The new MRI scanner and additional consultants are cited as evidence of that commitment, alongside extra funding for planned surgery. Alliance councillors have seized on these developments as proof that the hospital is not being run down, and have urged the public to look at the wider picture rather than focusing solely on the emergency surgery debate.

The meeting on September 1 was always likely to be heated, with passionate contributions expected from councillors on both sides of the argument. The DUP motion had been tabled in response to what the party described as a dangerous and short-sighted decision by the Northern Trust, and DUP representatives were expected to repeat their calls for the Health Minister to step in and save emergency surgery at Causeway. The Alliance Party, meanwhile, has positioned itself as the voice of clinical reason, arguing that decisions about patient care should be made by medical professionals, not politicians. This has put the party at odds with not only the DUP but also other parties represented on the council, including Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the UUP, all of which have voiced concerns about the proposed changes. The debate is therefore a politically significant moment, both for the future of health services on the north coast and for the political dynamics of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

In the end, the council has only a consultative role in relation to health service decisions; the final power rests with the Health Minister and the Northern Trust. Nevertheless, the council’s stance carries significant symbolic weight, and a vote in favour of the DUP motion would send a clear message to the Minister that local representatives are overwhelmingly opposed to the removal of emergency general surgery. A defeat for the motion, on the other hand, would be a significant boost for the pro-reconfiguration camp and would strengthen the position of those who argue that the health service must be allowed to make difficult but necessary decisions without political interference. Whatever the outcome, the row over Causeway Hospital is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Patients, families and health workers in Coleraine and the surrounding areas will continue to watch developments with a mixture of hope and anxiety, knowing that the future of their local hospital hangs in the balance. Alliance councillors, for their part, have made their position clear: they will not support what they see as a dishonest campaign, and they will continue to defend the hospital’s future by fighting for investment, staff and services — but on the basis of evidence, not emotion, and clinical safety, not political convenience.