Write a commentThe Department of Health are proposing to close the Stroke Unit at Daisy Hill Hospital.
In a consultation document released yesterday called "Reshaping Stroke Care" the Department put forward six options, with Daisy Hill Hospital omitted from all of them. The consultations rural impact assesment mentions that an additional 20 minutes mean travel time would be necessary to travel the extra distance to the Stroke Unit at Craigavon Hospital.
People are now being called to show their opposition again to Daisy Hill Hospital cuts, after a similar campaign two years ago in April 2017 to help save the Emergency Department at the hospital. A Save Our Stroke Unit public meeting has been called for next Wednesday, 3 April 2019 at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry and everyone is asked to attend.
As the consultation states "This document contains six options for reshaping the current configuration of stroke services and seven commitments for developing stroke care that will be necessary to underpin and support any new model. Each of the options involves consolidating services into a smaller number of centres where patients will be able to access Hyperacute Stroke Care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."
In the report a graph shows Daisy Hill's estimated annual admissions as 200 which is below the consultations recommended level of 600 admissions. Royal Victoria Hospital is the only hospital over the recommended level figure.
Regarding sustainability the consultation document adds "current services are not sustainable, with seven out of eight hospital sites having estimated annual admissions below the recommended levels. This may mean that staff at those hospitals do not have the opportunity needed to build and maintain relevant skills, and that consequently people attending those hospitals are not receiving the best possible treatment.
"Having this many sites also means that the deployment of the current workforce is very stretched. For example, there is a shortage of consultants at more than half of the current sites."
In a rural needs impact assesment it discusses increased journey times which would be necessary if the unit closed.
"Under the potential options, people living in the catchment areas for Causeway Hospital, Daisy Hill Hospital, and Ulster Hospital would experience an increase in journey time if taken to hospital after a suspected stroke."
"The impact of diverting ambulances from Daisy Hill Hospital to Craigavon Area Hospital was estimated at an additional 20 minutes to the mean travel time."
Local man Gavin Malone has organised the Save Our Stroke Unit meeting and is asking as many as possible to attend. A similar campaign to Save the Emergency Department at the Hospital proved successful in 2017.
You can view the consultation document on the Health NI Website which gives you full details of how you can share your views on page 48.
