To ask the Minister of Health whether the proposals consulted on within Hospitals Creating a Network for Better Outcomes form part of a wider regional strategy in relation to the future configuration of emergency surgical services.

The proposals for a Hospital Network in Northern Ireland are about how we can improve sustainability of hospital services and ultimately provide an assurance that none of our acute hospitals will close.

Specific changes to hospital services, for example general surgery, either have been, or will be, the subject of a separate consultation process led by the individual HSC Trust, or by my Department, through its programme of regional service reviews. In considering the future model for services, Trusts are required to follow the Guidance on the Change and Withdrawal of Services. This includes appropriate engagement and assessment of impact as part of any proposals for service change.

Proposals for Emergency General Surgery (EGS) at Trust level will be informed by patient safety standards set out in Review of General Surgery (2022). These standards represent best clinical practice, are based on available evidence, and must be in place in hospitals receiving EGS patients to ensure safe outcomes for patients through the delivery of high quality, sustainable and equitable care.

The findings of the Hospital Network consultation along with my Department’s response are to be published shortly.