Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council hosted a meeting with officials from the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust to discuss the opportunities available at the hospital.
Alderman Paul Porter, Chairman of the council's cross-party Health Working Group and Corporate Services Committee, chaired the meeting said: "The council supports this local hospital and has a good partnership approach with the Trust. It has lobbied to develop services within Lagan Valley Hospital including the introduction of its midwifery-led maternity unit, improved mental health provision and the relocation of the GP out of hours’ surgery.
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"In recent times this hospital has been identified as a location that can improve healthcare delivery. It is now an Elective Centre for varicose vein surgeries and Northern Ireland’s first Day Procedure Centre for less complex day surgery and procedures such as endoscopies, ENT and gynaecology. This is all great news for our local communities."
However, as the capabilities of Lagan Valley Hospital are realised and the site further developed this could present some issues with regards to traffic management.
A proactive approach was taken at the meeting, which was also attended by Roads Service representatives. All parties discussed concerns in relation to increased traffic accessing and leaving the hospital site onto a main traffic thoroughfare as patients attend for support and treatment. The Trust has already modified its plans within the site to assist with traffic flow.
Alderman Porter added: "We welcomed the engagement by Roads Service in hearing our concerns about traffic flow onto the Hillsborough Road and Warren Park. We discussed options to minimise the impact to local residents; and improved road safety measures as this is a popular road to walk into the city centre. Any road improvement works will be progressed by the Department for Infrastructure and the Trust."
