Mid Ulster councillor calls Northern Trust consultation a "sham"

by Gráinne Connolly

It was recently announced that the Northern Trust will face cuts of £13 million, and if they want to make that up in savings they have only 6 months to do. 

The Northern Trust will be holding a public consultation to discuss these cuts on the 25th September. 

However, in an area that is already in a bad situation with the worst waiting times than anywhere in the UK, there has only been one meeting organised in the middle of the day which has caused anger. 

Ulster Unionist Mid Ulster councillor, Trevor Wilson said: 

"It is clear that the so-called public consultation on the Northern Health Trust's proposed cuts is a sham. 

"If they were seriously concerned about hearing the views of as many people as possible they would not have planned the only local public meeting for 10am on a Monday morning. 

"The Trust has a legal duty to consider the views of local people, but its becoming increasingly clear that the current consultation is already a foregone engage with the Trust. 

"The Trust's decision to hold the only public meeting in the entire Mid Ulster area in Cookstown on a Monday morning, when most people are at work, is indicative of just how inconsequential they view the meetings." 

Four public meetings will be held across the whole Northern Trust area and only one is in the evening. 

In terms of the cuts themselves, Mr Wilson also said there is "no common-sense" used in drawing them up.

"They were picked because they save the most amount of money in the shortest period of time. 

"Given around 75% of total Trust expenditure goes on salaries it has been known from the very start that patients were going to be at the brunt end of these savings."

"The Northern Trust needs to urgently reconsider some of these proposals. It's not acceptable that savings are being placed ahead of the welfare and safety of local patients."