Campaigners calling for the Southern Health Trust to save services at Daisy Hill Hospital have announced plans for a rally in Newry later this month after meeting with the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health and the CEO of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.
Save Our Services Daisy Hill will take to the streets on June 25 to call on the Trust to reverse a number of recently announced decisions including moving stroke services to Craigavon Area Hospital and reducing inpatient bed numbers at Daisy Hill.
Speaking to Belfast Live, former Chief Executive of Newry and Mourne District Council, Eddy Curtis from the SOS Daisy Hill campaign accused the Trust of playing games with people's lives.
"We have been calling for an independent investigation into the CEO of the Southern Trust because it is our view that this has been mismanaged on a very high scale," he said.
"At a public meeting here in Newry we were promised overnight elective surgery and a new MRI. Within six weeks of that we got a new punch in the jaw that because another consultant has left that they cannot provide general medicine at Daisy Hill and therefore stroke services will be moving to Craigavon which wasn't consulted on.
"If you were a person living in Annalong or Crossmaglen and you took a stroke, you can no longer get your thrombolysis injection at Daisy Hill and have to travel to Craigavon."
Eddy told us that he drove from Annalong to Craigavon Area Hospital and the journey took him one hour and 48 minutes.
"Every minute after the 'golden hour', your chances of survival with a stroke diminishes by two percent.
"Taking that journey, my chances of survival would have decreased by over 80 per cent."
Those attending the rally on June 25 will walk from Market Square in Newry to Daisy Hill Hospital to show their opposition to the decisions.
It is understood that nine consultants have left Daisy Hill within the last year with six of those being within the last three to six months.
"It is very difficult for a Permanent Secretary and a CEO to have alienated so many people," Eddy continued.
"They keep telling us that they can't recruit so we would ask them to show us how they tried.
"Why can they not take on locums which they have been doing to fill the gap until they have replacements in place?" he asked.
Eddy pointed out that Newry Mourne and Down District is on record as having the worst ambulance response times in Northern Ireland and asked how the Trust plan on ensuring adequate care without services at Daisy Hill.
"We had the worst response times last year and the Trust is telling us that we shouldn't worry about getting down to Craigavon because the Ambulance Service is there. The Ambulance Service is not there.
"The Trust should have sorted the issue with response times first and then looked at things that they are able to do.
"This hospital also supplies renal services to Louth, Monaghan and Cavan. Those people are up in arms too about what is happening.
"There are games being played with people's lives. One death will be too many."
The rally will leave Market Square at 2pm on Sunday 25th June before making its way to Daisy Hill Hospital.
Commenting after the meeting, Permanent Secretary Peter May said: “The departure of consultants from Daisy Hill in recent weeks has caused deep concerns among staff and the local community.
“I assured both groups I met today that these concerns are shared by the Department and the Trust. We are working collectively and exhaustively to urgently stabilise services.
“The ongoing intensive discussions involve the wider Health and Social Care system, reflecting the fact that Daisy Hill is an important part of NI’s hospital network.
“The Department’s commitment to the hospital is evidenced in the announcement earlier this year of a £9.1m upgrade in its electrical infrastructure.
“I believe a way forward can be found to safeguard services and, crucially, to continue to protect and support the hospital’s Emergency Department.
“Alongside this stabilisation work, we also need to ensure a sustainable future for Daisy Hill and other hospitals of a similar size.”
Mr May continued: “I welcome the opportunity for today’s meetings. The local community is quite rightly very protective and proud of Daisy Hill Hospital. It is right that people are passionate in defence of the health service. However, I would appeal for the debate on the hospital’s future to be conducted respectfully.
“I have seen up close the commitment of Southern Trust’s senior management team to Daisy Hill. They do not deserve the personal abuse that has been directed at them from some parts of social media.
“The issues involved go much wider than the hospital or the Trust. Health authorities in many jurisdictions are grappling with the best way to ensure sustainable hospital consultant staffing. It’s a challenge that was highlighted in the Bengoa Report and properly resolving it will require strategic choices, investment and political leadership.”
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