NEWS

An action plan is set to be implemented by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust at Whiteabbey Hospital by the end of next month in a bid to improve theatre efficiency. Trust board members were presented with a report on theatre performance at the end of February, which showed that performance in the Trust’s “peripheral” hospitals — Whiteabbey and Mid Ulster — is below target in terms of both operating and run times. Operating times refer to the time spent on each patient

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust board has approved a business case for the purchase of nine new ultrasound scanners at a cost of almost £700,000. A report presented to the Trust board at its most recent meeting in January said: “This proposal aims to replace nine ultrasound scanners within radiology across the Trust. “The service covers a wide range of routine, planned, red flag and urgent examinations for both inpatients and outpatients, as well as unscheduled car

(L-R) Health Minister Mike Nesbitt with Northern Trust staff, Hannah Liken, CT Radiographer and Seán ÓConaire, Assistant Director. In a...