SOS Daisy Hill not Currently on Council's Health Working Group

A Daisy Hill Hospital support group has urged the council not to make a “mistake” by excluding it from new talks with the health trusts.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s recent environment committee agreed to review the attendees to its health working groups, which have not met the trusts for four years.

However, community group ‘SOS Daisy Hill,’ which organised a major rally of over 10K people in Newry on concerns for the city’s hospital has not been included on list as attendees to the health working group next week.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the spokesperson for SOS Daisy Hill Francis Gallagher said: “If the council was to exclude the group I fear they would be making a big mistake and would emphasise the importance of including our group.

“As the council health working groups have not met with the trusts in so long, they could be starting from scratch when it comes to the new meetings.

“We would regularly meet with the Southern Health Trust and developed a good relation as well as the Stormont health committee and the Minster of Health Mike Nesbitt.

“All of our experience could certainly help the council and be good for ratepayers as we could contribute to the discussions and a strategic approach.

“People are now going into debt for private surgery and that is not a good thing.”

Thousands of people took to the street of Newry after the Southern Trust recommended emergency general surgery status being removed from Daisy Hill.

He added: ”We organised one of the biggest rallies in Northern Ireland since the 1960s on the concerns for Daisy Hill hospital with over 10k people in Newry. So we do have the ability to mobilise a lot of people if required.

“If the council doesn’t include groups like ourselves where are they going to get that kind of expertise?”

The council’s health working groups had initially been agreed some nine years ago to meet with the Trusts twice annually with the NI Ambulance Service also invited.

But, a report at a previous environment committee has shown the working groups have not met the trusts since at least 2022 due to a “lack of attendance”.

In the council chamber, Newry SDLP councillor Killian Feehan added: “In terms of membership from community or voluntary groups, what type of representation will there be on the new working groups?

“I note that the SOS Daisy Hill committee is still fairly active and engaged with the Stormont health committee so I’d be keen to understand what kind of conversations took place in that regard. As I don’t see them listed on this report as attendees.”

A council officer responded: “These groups joined the health working groups in 2017 so we want to review it and look at attendance. We will be discussing membership at the health working group in March.”