Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry: Southern Health Trust says it has stabilised doctor staffing crisis with international recruitment

It had been reported that the trust was proposing to more than halve the number of ward beds at the hospital from 107 to 40 as an interim measure - in order to maintain patient safety.

In January it was announced that emergency general surgery – which deals with common abdominal complaints – would be permanently moved from Daisy Hill Hospital to Craigavon.

Local campaigners had openly expressed concerns for the future of the hospital - in large part due to the inability to retain consultants.

​However, the Southern Trust has now announced that it has used international doctors to stabilise the staffing crisis in Newry - though adds that "relentless attention" is needed for the issue.

An Expert Panel of independent clinical and involvement advisors was appointed last summer to address the problems, chaired by Mairead McAlinden.

In a statement, the panel said: "The stability of the medical workforce in General Medicine has improved over the last six months, bolstered by doctors from the Trust’s international recruitment initiative. However this needs relentless attention and ongoing development."

The panel also reported improvements in service delivery in Acute Medicine, Emergency Department and the Ambulatory Unit.

The role of the current High Dependency Unit was reviewed, and the Panel has recommended maintaining this area in its current location

It also said that increasing numbers of patients are being treated the hospital's Regional Elective Overnight Surgical Centre, one of the three such new centres in Northern Ireland.

The panel encouraged expansion "at pace" of other specialisms at the hospital, in paediatrics and other surgical specialties.

The government is aiming to give hospitals across NI specialist hubs, which has already happened in Scotland.

Southern Trust chief executive, Dr Maria O’Kane, said: “We sincerely thank Mairead as chair and all of the panel members for their expertise, commitment and diligence in finding workable solutions to the challenges that have faced Daisy Hill Hospital.”

Francis Gallagher, Chairman of the SOS Daisy Hill Hospital Committee, said the news "boosts the confidence of the local population in their Health Care system".

He added: "The provision of additional international Doctors is excellent news but we need to continue to keep a close eye on this essential area to ensure future improvements are continuously scrutinised."

He called for a business case for the new MRI unit to be made permanent and said the committee will continue to lobby for investment.

​Last year Mark Taylor, the NI Director of the Royal College of Surgeons, told the News Letter that advances in science and skills are leading to exceptional specialisation by surgeons.

This is benefiting patient care, but such surgeons increasingly want to work in major urban hospitals with 24/7 support staff and higher volumes of operations, he added.