Lagan Valley Conservatives have expressed concerns about the restrictions to the A & E opening hours at Lagan Valley hospital announced by DUP Health Minister Edwin Poots.
"History would tell us this is the beginning of the end for the A & E in Lisburn" commented Steve McIlwrath, Deputy Chairman of Lagan Valley Conseratives, "Elsewhere in NI when hours have being restricted the A & E usually closes eventually."
Mr McIlwrath went on to express concern about the ability of the A & Es at Craigavon and the Royal to cope with the extra workload.
"If our A & E is on the way out and the City hospital A & E is also to be downgraded we need to be sure that the remaining hospitals have the capacity to cope."
"We fear that while staff can be moved quickly, Craigavon and the Royal simply do not currently have the physical capacity to deal with this change - which appears to be being introduced very quickly."