Fresh plea for public to have their say on MIU closure plans
FRESH pleas have been made for local people to have their voices heard about plans to close the minor injuries units in Bangor and Newtownards.
Bangor Central councillors together with independent Assemblyman Alex Easton have urged as many people as possible to engage in the public consultation process following the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust’s controversial closure announcement.
Such is the strength of feeling against the closure plans that over 19,000 people have already signed a petition calling for the plans to close the Bangor and Newtownards MIUs to be taken off the table.
The petition calls on the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust to ‘immediately withdraw’ its controversial closure plans in a bid to reduce ‘further pressure on the already overstretched Ulster Hospital’.
Earlier this year Trust bosses proposed scrapping both the MIUs in favour of building a new facility at the Dundonald hospital site.
Urging local people to have their say Mr Easton said: “I have been working towards saving the Minor Injuries Units in both Bangor and Ards from closure because I believe in having care services based locally.
“I also know there’s huge public support for investing in keeping these units open because our petition has raised over 19,000 signatures over the last several weeks. At the moment there is a public consultation ongoing about these closures.”
He said: “I’m hearing from a number of people that they are finding it difficult to access the online consultation forms, or off-putting because there are additional documents to read in order to fill it in.
“I’m committed to helping get as many people engaged in the consultation as possible so I’d like Spectator readers to know I have a number of paper copies of the forms in my office and I’ll pass these on to anyone who needs it, just contact me by any means and I’ll pass these on.
“If at all possible, I urge readers to use the online version and the link is:
https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/hsc/public-consultation-on-the-future-provision-of-urg/consultation
