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Dr Maria O’Kane, Chief Executive of the Southern Trust announced today that acute stroke services are once again being removed from Daisy Hill Hospital from then end of this month. They were removed earlier this year and reinstated in early April.
The announcement was made at a Trust Board Meeting in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council offices at Monaghan Row, Newry.
Announcing the move Dr O'Kane said "what we do know, because we are losing the two stroke physicians, is that from the 31st of May, we are not likely to be able to provide acute stroke provision on the Daisy Hill site, but our aspiration is to have that returned.
"From a safety point of view, given that we had to do this back in February for a period of time as well. It's important that we communicate that so that the public and all of yourselves are aware that you know as an emergency measure, that's one of the contingencies that we have to put in place at this point in time."
In a statement the Trust said that recruiting and retaining medical staff has been a major issue in Daisy Hill Hospital in recent years. The pressures have now escalated with increasing reliance on medical locum cover and a number of consultant medical staff ending their tenure at the hospital.
These challenges are putting services at the hospital - such as respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) inpatient medical provision – at risk. Every avenue is being pursued to protect services.
In addition, as there are insufficient substantive stroke consultants at Daisy Hill, the decision has been taken on patient safety grounds to again divert all acute stroke patients to Craigavon Area Hospital. This will come into effect from 9am on 31 May. The same measure was taken in February due to unforeseen staffing issues.
Speaking at the monthly Trust Board meeting in Newry, Chief Executive Dr Maria O’Kane set out the challenges with medical staffing - across the Trust in some specialties and particularly at Daisy Hill Hospital.
Dr O’Kane said: “The regional and international shortage of consultants, difficulties recruiting specialist grade and junior doctors and the serious over-reliance on locum doctors are matters of great concern in meeting the demand for acute inpatient medicine and providing stable medical staffing cover in our medical wards.
“This situation is certainly not unique to Daisy Hill Hospital. The shortage of medical staff is extremely challenging in Northern Ireland, and indeed further afield.”
Dr O’Kane added: “We continue to pursue every viable option to minimise the impact of this situation and stabilise our workforce.
“We are also working with other Trusts in Northern Ireland and the Department of Health to help us through this situation. A meeting will take place next week involving all Trusts to seek support to address these challenges. However, it needs to be recognised that medical staffing is already stretched across Craigavon Area and other NI hospitals, so any support is likely to be limited. Our initial focus will be to stabilise staffing for the summer months in anticipation of a more permanent solution.
“Ensuring patient safety and supporting our staff will be absolute priorities. We are very proud of the care provided by our medical staff, who have been working in very difficult circumstances.
“We have also engaged Nuffield Trust to review acute medicine locally across our hospitals and using their recommendations to address the challenges, to support the development of services into the future.”
Speaking after the Southern Trust board meeting today Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins said “Today’s announcement that stroke services will now be diverted to Craigavon hospital will be a huge blow as Daisy Hill continues to be allowed to lurch from crisis to crisis.
“Staff and the wider community feel that no one in the senior management of the trust is championing Daisy Hill.
“An unprecedented number of consultants have left Daisy Hill in recent months which has left the Hospital in a critical situation.
“The Trust must find urgent solutions to these issues and tackle the serious difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.
“Despite recent positive news of investment into the infrastructure of the Hospital, the poor management by the trust has meant we are once again in a very difficult situation with Daisy Hill.
“My colleague Conor Murphy MLA has today raised this, and the issue of GP cover in South Armagh with head of the civil service, Jane Brady and has sought an urgent meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health."
Once again Ms Kimmins reiterated that they need a government executive formed now.
