A new half-a-million pound outpatients department has been opened at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry.
It is the result of a renovation of the former maternity outpatients department on the ground floor of the hospital.
The new department will provide a specialised environment needed for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Assessment and includes three new sound booths. It also houses two pre-operative assessment rooms and two additional consulting rooms, providing much-needed clinical accommodation.
It will also continue to house general outpatients activity.
Dr Gillian Rankin, director of Acute Services for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, says the number of outpatients attending Daisy Hill has increased by 12,000 in the past five years, and there was a real need to meet this growing demand.
“We are delighted to have been able to upgrade the accommodation and to provide modern facilities for patients and staff,” she said.