The chief executive of the Southern Health Trust is to be called before an “urgent” council working group to explain the decision to remove general emergency surgery from Newry’s Daisy Hill hospital.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council was this week presented with a letter from the permanent secretary of the Department of Health, Peter May, confirming the permanent consolidation of the service at Craigavon Area Hospital.
General surgery was temporarily suspended in Newry in early 2022, with the response from Mr May now seemingly confirming the permanent move to Craigavon due to a shortage of general surgery consultants.
Newry SDLP councillor Killian Feehan said: “This letter acknowledges that this decision was made after consultation, but what it fails to speak to is to the fact of the 11k-plus consultation responses - 97% were opposed to the withdrawal proposal.
“And that is not to mention the 10k people who took to the streets of Newry last July to march in opposition to the decision.
“So, that raises a very simple question, why has the verdict of the people of this district been seemingly ignored by both the trust and the Department of Health at the same time the permanent secretary made it clear, in a letter to this council, that the views of local stakeholders would be taken in to account.”
She added it was “crucial to remember at this juncture that ordinary people are the owners and the funders of the health service”.
“So, with this in mind I would like to propose an urgent meeting of the Southern Trust Working Group to be convened and the chief executive of the trust is called...to explain how and why, the very clear and unambiguous position of our community has been so brazenly disregarded in the decision announced by the permanent secretary.”
The chamber also approved an amendment from SDLP councillor Doire Finn to the proposal, to write to the permanent secretary to request he reverses his decision, so that the matter could be debated in a newly reformed Assembly.
Expressions of anger towards the permanent secretary’s letter were further expressed in chambers.
Slieve Gullion UUP councillor David Taylor added: “It’s very clear as a community we are very angry and disappointed at this decision, but probably not surprised to be honest.
“We’ve all attended a number of public community events and despite the passion that has been shown by the community regarding this subject, and indeed Daisy Hill in general, it’s clear that the legitimate concerns that have been raised have largely been ignored.
“Unfortunately, we are in this situation because of a lack of long-term strategic planning and investment by the department and the trust and we are bearing the brunt of that failure.
“It does outline the need for an Executive to be in place, whilst may not cure all ills that exist in the health service, it would provide the leadership that is needed to take strategic planning forward.”
