Fears for future of Derry's Northlands Centre

A Derry addiction centre will be forced to close within a year if a £200,000 funding shortfall is not addressed, a public meeting in the city was told last night.

The meeting, held in the City Hotel, was held by staff at the Waterside-based Northlands Centre to discuss concerns over the impact new proposals will have on the admittance policy.

They say policy changes being proposed by the Public Health Agency and Health and Social Care Board will mean people will no longer be able to self-refer when seeking out the services the centre has been providing for the past 40 years..

As a result, all referrals will have to come through statutory services, meaning that it could take a much longer period of time for someone to receive an assessment.