A network of healthcare “one-stop shops” has been proposed by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to deliver better local services.
Centres would be sited at easily accessible positions throughout the city, with maternity care centralised at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
A New Directions discussion document is “a conversation with the citizens of Belfast about how and where the city’s health and care services could be provided”.
William McKee, chief executive of the trust, said the time is now right to look at key issues such as simplifying access to services, avoiding duplication and improving effectiveness.
Other proposals include putting key services at single locations to provide specialist centres of excellence; developing the city’s three A&E departments into specialist emergency departments providing unique areas of expertise; and building on existing partnerships to maximise the independence of people with physical, sensory or learning disabilities by providing additional living, working and leisure options.
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