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MLA’s Liz Kimmins and Conor Murphy, as well as Mickey Brady MP have welcomed a meeting with the Chief Executive of the Southern Trust where a number of concerns were discussed with the management.
Commenting after the meeting Conor Murphy MLA said “This was a very informative meeting with the Trust, a number of key issues were raised, including the issue of waiting lists. Tackling waiting lists is a priority for Sinn Féin nationally. In June I allocated an additional £30 Million to assist the Health Service in tackling this issue.
“The trust informed us that they are pulling together a strategy to tackle the waiting lists around Red-Flag cancer operations and Orthopedic procedures as a priority. We also discussed the future of Daisy Hill with the trust and what the next step in this project will be.
“After a number of years campaigning to save Daisy Hill and preserve the services at the site, it is a welcome change to now have the discussion around expanding the services offered at the Hospital.
“The trust has informed us they have a number of options that they are currently considering to expand and improve the services offered by Daisy Hill to better serve the community.
Liz Kimmins MLA also commented on the meeting “Myself and my party colleagues, Conor Murphy MLA and Mickey Brady MP met with the management of the Trust to discuss a number of key issues and concerns ahead of the Winter.
“One of the biggest issues is around Domiciliary Care Workers and Care packages. The shortage of staff across the health sector is affecting the Trust’s ability to provide care packages for Patients.
“This has the knock on effect here as some patients can’t be discharged from Hospital without a care package in place, this can create a backlog of patients who need a bed, potentially worsening the pressures during the winter period
“My party Colleague, Chris Hazzard has already called on the Health Minister to work towards resolving the issues around care packages as a priority.
Concluding on the meeting, Mickey Brady MP said “It is important that we continue to have meetings like this with the Trust on a regular basis. Not only are we still navigating our way out of the pandemic, but we also need to ensure that the growth of Daisy Hill is supported and that it can expand the services and care it can offer to the people of Newry and South Armagh.”
