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Newry and Armagh MLA Gareth Wilson has raised concerns in the Assembly over plans that could see maternity services relocated from Daisy Hill Hospital to Craigavon. Speaking in the Chamber today, he said the announcement by the Southern Trust had been met with anger and confusion among patients and staff alike.
Health Minister Robbie Butler brought the news to the Assembly yesterday 21 September, prompting what Wilson described as great concern and great annoyance in the wider community. Wilson said the public reaction should come as no surprise and was well warranted, describing Daisy Hill as a much cherished local hospital serving a wide and very rural population in Newry and Armagh and south Down.
Wilson said he had personally had a very good experience of the hospital in preparation for surgery last year and could not praise the hard-working staff there enough. He said that despite the hospital's good reputation, there had been a recurring theme over a number of years whereby vital services were temporarily suspended before those temporary arrangements became permanent, with services removed and undertaken elsewhere. Each instance, he said, had brought the same public response of annoyance and a sense of betrayal.
He told the Assembly that people wanted to see services retained at Daisy Hill, including maternity services, which he described as a vital part of the hospital's healthcare offering. He said many people in his constituency and in neighbouring constituencies wanted that important service strengthened, not weakened to the point of removal.
Wilson said: "Minister Butler's commentary suggesting that, if the situation does not change by early November, services will relocate to Craigavon, presents him with a real and pressing challenge. Instead of running down the clock, will the Minister and the trust redouble efforts to ensure that the necessary resources are secured to enable the services to continue at Daisy Hill? That is the ask of the staff and of the wider community. The implications for Craigavon are, of course, also considerable. I feel that the knock-on impacts have not been fully considered should a course of action be pursued that sees the service relocated there."
Wilson said he was deeply concerned about the confusion the announcement had caused in the hospital and the community, adding that it had created more questions than answers. He referred to language used by the trust's chief executive, who said it was "more likely than not" that maternity services would move from Daisy Hill but that it was "not quite a done deal," saying this captured the attitude of senior decision-makers at the trust. Wilson said that approach lacked a demonstrable determination to find solutions and that he was not convinced there was a firm willingness to find one in the short time available.
He quoted Eddy Curtis of SOS Daisy Hill, who asked: "Why does it always have to be Daisy Hill?" Wilson repeated the question, saying expectant mothers expected clarity and that it was important Butler provided it. He said the issue was one of resourcing rather than one that was totally insurmountable, and urged all those with authority to ensure the maternity provision remained on the Daisy Hill site. "The clock is ticking," he said.
