Write a commentA major rally will take place later this month that will give you the opportunity to show your support for Daisy Hill Hospital.
The demonstration will start from Marcus Square in Newry at 12pm sharp on Saturday the 28th of March and the assembly will then proceed on foot to Daisy Hill Hospital.
The rally will focus on the decision by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to close the excellent stroke unit in Daisy Hill in favour of centralising acute stroke services at Craigavon Area Hospital. However, the recently released Donaldson report into Healthcare services in Northern Ireland recommended a major reorganisation of hospital services in Northern Ireland with a reduction in the number of acute hospitals.
Rural areas of the district will be particularly hit by centralising of services as the poor roads infrastructure and public transport system mean difficulties for both patients and relatives in accessing hospital services. The additional transport requirements will place an extra burden on what is universally agreed to be an already overstretched ambulance service. Even if an ambulance is immediately available many parts of Newry and Mourne cannot be reached within the 8 minute target time for a category A life threatening emergency, problems which will be compounded if ambulances are tied up transporting patients to centralised services.
Councillor Daire Hughes, Mayor of Newry and Mourne called on everyone in the area to come out to show their opposition to the downgrading of services at Daisy Hill saying “Whilst our immediate concern is for stroke services, the Donaldson report, if implemented would pose a significant threat to Daisy Hill’s status as an acute hospital and would put the health and wellbeing of the people of this area at risk. We must all come together to show the strength of feeling in Newry and Mourne and that we will fight for the future of Daisy Hill.”
