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The National Childbirth Trust have sent an open letter to the Southern Trust expressing their concern about the Trust's potential temporary suspension of maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital, explaining that it is vital that decisions are informed by the lived experiences and needs of the community.
The Southern Trust announced last week that due to a lack of consultants, maternity services at Daisy Hill could be removed to Craigavon Hospital from November.
The Newry community have organised a public meeting at the Canal Court Hotel this Thursday at 7pm.
The letter is published in full below.
Dear leaders of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust
I am writing on behalf of NCT (National Childbirth Trust) regarding the potential temporary suspension of inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital and the transfer of births to Craigavon Area Hospital.
We are deeply concerned about the impact that any suspension of local birth services could have on women, birthing people, babies and families across Newry, South Armagh, south Down and surrounding rural communities.
Over the last year, around 1,700 babies were born at Daisy Hill Hospital, underlining the importance of the service to the local population. If births are transferred to Craigavon, many women will face significantly longer journeys for labour and birth, at a time when reassurance, continuity of care and prompt access to support matter most. Local women have already spoken publicly about increased travel times, anxiety and the prospect of having to change carefully made birth plans.
For many, where a baby is born is far more than a logistical consideration. Access to timely, local and high-quality maternity care affects experiences of pregnancy, labour, birth and the early days of parenthood. It is therefore vital that any decisions are informed by the lived experiences and needs of the communities affected.
We recognise the significant workforce challenges facing maternity services at Daisy Hill, including difficulties recruiting consultant obstetricians, and we acknowledge the responsibility of healthcare leaders to ensure services remain safe for women and babies. These pressures are not unique to Daisy Hill, and reflect workforce issues that we are seeing for maternity services across Northern Ireland and the wider UK.
Earlier this month, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health reported that Northern Ireland now has the highest infant mortality rate in the UK, with infant mortality increasing from 4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 4.5 per 1,000 in 2024. The College also highlighted widening health inequalities, noting that infant mortality rates are highest in the most deprived communities.
While infant mortality is influenced by a wide range of factors, these findings reinforce the importance of ensuring that maternity and neonatal services remain as accessible, and equitable as possible, whilst centring women and parents. At a time when Northern Ireland has been warned about worsening infant mortality and widening health inequalities, decisions affecting access to maternity care should be subject to the highest level of transparency and scrutiny, and parent voices must be heard.
The impact is likely to be felt most strongly by those who already face barriers to accessing healthcare, including people living in rural communities, families on lower incomes, younger parents, disabled parents, those without reliable access to transport and those requiring regular antenatal or postnatal support.
Access to local maternity services is closely linked to choice, rights-respecting care and informed decision making. If births are moved elsewhere, some women may no longer be able to give birth in their planed setting or access the care options that had expected. Having genuine choice about where to give birth is a fundamental part of personalised maternity care, and any reduction in choice should be carefully considered alongside the impact of safety, rights, experiences and access.
NCT believes it is essential that the voices of women, birthing people, parents and local communities are at the heart of any decision-making process. We are therefore seeking reassurance about how the impact on families is being assessed and mitigated, both during any temporary suspension and in plans for the longer-term future of maternity care in the area.
Given the significant impact this proposal could have, we believe the Trust should provide greater transparency on:
- What alternatives have been explored to avoid or minimise disruption to local maternity services;
- How the impact on women, babies and parents has been assessed, particularly for those in rural and deprived communities;
- Whether an Equality Impact Assessment has been undertaken and whether its findings will be made public;
- What support will be available to women and parents facing additional travel, childcare, financial or practical challenges as a result of service changes;
- What arrangements are being made to maintain continuity of care and preserve choice wherever possible;
- What specific workforce, operational or other criteria would allow inpatient maternity services to continue at Daisy Hill, or be reinstated if temporarily suspended; how women, parents, staff and communities have been engaged to date and how they will continue to be involved in discussions about the future of services.
Women and parents must have confidence that any changes to maternity services are being made transparently, that all alternatives have been properly considered, and that the impact has been fully assessed. NCT stands ready to work constructively with the Trust, the Department of Health, the Public Health Agency and other partners to ensure parents' voices are heard and are reflected in decisions about the future of maternity services in the region.
We would be grateful for a response outlining the steps being taken to address these concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Angela McConville
Chief Executive
NCT (National Childbirth Trust)
