To ask the Minister of Health to detail when the Strategic Performance and Planning Group work completing the oversight and governance of the recommendations of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust on emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital will be completed.

The Northern Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust submitted its consultation feedback report on the proposed reconfiguration of general surgery services to my Department in May 2025. This was an early step in the change and withdrawal of service process. My Department subsequently commissioned an independent Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) review which concluded that the proposed clinical model was appropriate and would improve the quality of patient care and reduce the risk of an unplanned service failure.

My officials continue to work with Northern HSC Trust colleagues to assess how general surgery services can be delivered safely and sustainably at the Causeway Hospital. The impact on both elective and emergency general surgery services in both the Northern and the Western HSC Trusts will be considered in the future model for general surgery.

I recently announced the establishment of a new Independent Reconfiguration Committee, who will bring together independent clinical and public-interest expertise to provide me with independent advice. The Committee will consider patient safety, service quality, clinical effectiveness and long-term sustainability. It will also examine whether the evidence and options appraisal supporting a proposal are sufficiently robust and credible. In the interests of transparency and accountability, advice provided by the Independent Reconfiguration Committee will be published.

I can assure you that Causeway Hospital continues to play a crucial role in providing appropriate care to the local population as part of our hospital network.