Trust Urged: 'Just Say No' To £12.5M Cutbacks

THE Western Trust has been urged to ‘just say no’ to proposals to cut £12.5m from its budget before the end of next March.

- Ciaran O’Neill

The five health trusts in Northern Ireland have been told by the Department of Health that they must implement savings of a total of £70m.

The Western Trust’s Board held a public meeting on Thursday to outline the impact that the proposed cuts will have on its services.

The meeting at the Trust headquarters at Altnagelvin Hospital was told that the local health body has been asked to find a total of £12.5m in savings before the end of the financial year on March 31 next year.

Board members outlined the wide range of options which have been put forward in a bid to make the savings.

However, there was an angry response to the proposed cutbacks from members of the public, local politicians and trade union representatives at the meeting.

What looks set to be one of the most controversial proposals, would be to ‘consolidate’ the services currently offered to the elderly at the William Street and Rectory Field Residential Homes in Derry.

This would mean one of the homes closing and its residents being moved to the other facility.

In 2015, a public consultation was held about the future of the two local residential homes amid concerns that they were to be closed.

However, a major campaign was launched and additional money was found within the health budget to keep them open.

Now, however, there will be new concern for residents of the two homes and their families following Thursday’s announcement.

The proposal involving the two homes was one of a large number put forward by the Western Trust Board as areas where savings could possibly be made.

One of the other areas of proposed savings would involve a reduction in elective (non-emergency) surgery, which Thursday’s meeting was told would lead to an increase in waiting times for those in need of surgery.