Write a commentLast Thursday night saw the first meeting of Newry Hospital Forum a recently convened group who joined with local political representatives and lay people at a meeting in Bellinis in Newry.
The Forum has the following objectives:
To reclaim lost services at Daisy Hill Hospital such as its excellent stroke care unit
To help put in place the necessary organization and strategy so the whole community can effectively respond to future attempts to deplete acute services at Daisy Hill
To help research and present a business, clinical and governance case for a new acute hospital at Newry that will cater for this whole border region
To campaign for more accountability and transparency in the health service so front line staff and patients have more say in how services are delivered.
The overwhelming consensus at the meeting was to organise a cross community campaign to stop the Stroke Unit being taken away from Daisy Hill.
A spokesperson for the new forum said "I am greatly influenced by the writings of Dr John Robb who was a surgeon at Ballymoney Hospital. His book ‘Long live the small acute hospital’ presents very sensible and enlightened arguments for the future of the small acute hospital.
They continued "One of these arguments is that improved technology in medical care – far from forcing us down the road of centralisation - actually makes it easier in many ways to deliver acute care in the smaller hospital. Obviously – he argues – there are times when the super specialist treatment can only be delivered centrally but on the whole, it is argued by convincingly in his book, that a large proportion of acute care can be delivered in the local acute hospital."
Actions Proposed
A crowd of over 200 people attended the meeting to show their support for the campaign to save the Stroke Unit at Daisy Hill Hospital.
All those present which included MPs, MLAs, Councillors, stroke survivors and staff working in the unit expressed their strong objections to the proposals from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to centralise acute in patient and rehabilitation stroke care at a specialist unit in Craigavon Area Hospital.
After hearing contributions from many of those present the meeting agreed to take the following action
The Council’s Health Service Working Group will act as a steering group to organise a major rally in the City Centre on Saturday 28 March 2015.
A major media campaign will be launched in support of the rally to include launch of a facebook page, website, Twitter, press and radio coverage and a video campaign featuring stroke survivors and family members.
A further Public Meeting will be held with representatives of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.
Letters will be sent to the Trust, Health Committee and Minister at the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety expressing the opposition of the community in Newry and Mourne to the proposed closure of the excellent stroke unit at Daisy Hill.
The meeting called on local Trade Unions, Farmers’ Unions, Youth organisations and Rural and Urban Community/Residents Groups, to give their support to the rally and wider campaign.
Summing up Councillor Daire Hughes, Mayor of Newry and Mourne thanked everyone for their valuable contribution to the meeting and expressed his appreciation that so many people had come out to give their support. He said “The level of support tonight shows the appreciation people in the area have for the excellent work of the staff in Daisy Hill and I know the campaign going forward will build exponentially.”
Brady Calls for a United Campaign
Following the meeting Sinn Fein MLA Mickey Brady has called on communities across the constituency and the neighbouring border counties to stand together in defence of the Hospital.
"The proposals by the Trust to remove the specialist stroke inpatient Unit from Newry’s local hospital do not stack up given that it is widely recognised that Daisy Hill has provided the best stroke service in the north,” he said.
“This is evidenced by the fact that in 2011/2012 the average length of stay for stroke patients at Daisy Hill was 17 days, whereas at Craigavon Hospital it was 47 days.
“On value for money alone and provision of service, the Daisy Hill Unit delivers.”
He said far from cutting the unit, it should be expanded.
“The Trust should further invest in and develop the Stroke Unit in Daisy Hill, which would result in the provision of increased rapid access to specialist investigation and treatment to all on a regional basis.
“Sinn Féin wants to see the best possible outcomes for Stroke patients following their hospital treatment. We have spoken to families whose loved ones have suffered strokes and they are telling us that the service provided at Daisy Hill was second to none.
“Feedback from families also suggests that moving stroke services to Craigavon will be extremely traumatic for stroke patients and make it unworkable for families to fully support their loved ones.”
Speaking on the wider issue of the perceived threat to other acute services in the hospital, he appealed to all present to unite and work together to fight for the long term sustainability of Daisy Hill hospital.
“Daisy Hill covers a wide rural catchment area that stretches into south Armagh and south Down. It is an essential hospital service to this region including inpatient, outpatient, day care, Maternity and Accident & Emergency Services, as well as specific specialist Services.
“The dedication, commitment and professionalism of its staff is widely recognised. That is why I and my colleagues will fight tooth and nail to halt any further diminishing of its present services.”
