On Monday, an escalation plan was put in place as a result of the hospital in Coleraine, Co Londonderry experiencing "sustained pressure" in previous days.

This meant that an increased response was required from all areas within the Northern Trust - including hospital, community and social care services.

A statement from Northern Trust, released at the time, said: "Additional staff have been brought into hospital and community teams to assist with the increased pressure.

"We are working with NI Ambulance Service to divert patients away from hospital. These are the normal contingency measures in such cases."

Members of the public were asked to attend a GP out-of-hours service if their case was not an emergency.

On Tuesday morning, a Trust spokesperson said the escalation measures had now been stood down.

UUP North Antrim MLA Robin Swann said the temporary diversion of patients from the area had caused "great alarm".

"This alarm is quite understandable given that local people have become increasingly concerned at persistent rumours that the future of the Causeway Hospital is in jeopardy, with particular concerns over A&E services," he said.

"This is quite understandable given the considerable distances to alternative A&E's at both Antrim and Altnagelvin and the significant burdens which this would place on the Ambulance Service and associated response times.

"The Causeway Hospital in Coleraine is a tremendous asset which not only serves the resident population in the Boroughs of Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle but also the large student population at the University of Ulster in Coleraine the thousands of holiday makers who frequent the north coast during the summer months."

The MLA called on Health Minister Edwin Poots to provide appropriate resources for the hospital.