Trust have fight on their hands over Daisy Hill emergency surgery says union

Unite said the plan will leave some parts of Northern Ireland 70 minutes from emergency surgery provision.

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust announced this week that it is set to end emergency general surgery at Daisy Hill with chief executive Shane Devlin saying that Daisy Hill “can shine by becoming one of the most amazing elective hospitals, still having a functioning emergency department dealing with a massive amount of emergency”.

Unite’s Kevin McAdam challenged the Southern Trust on the decision: “If you withdraw emergency surgery – what sort of emergency service is left?

“Anyone needing emergency surgery will face having the delay of being transferred from one hospital to another. The people of Newry and districts cannot be abandoned like this.

“Reconfiguration of services must improve healthcare provision not abandon communities. Our members in the NI Ambulance service advise that this closure would leave people in Kilkeel, for example, 1 hour 10 minutes away from emergency surgery at Craigavon Hospital and that’s even in blue light conditions.

“Paramedics will need to make judgement calls on which hospital to bring emergency admissions. It is undeniable that lives will be lost if this proceeds.

“The Southern Trust needs to reverse this decision. If not, Unite will be calling on the community to mobilise as never before in defence of their access to vital, lifesaving health services.”

Unite said that a previous threat to the A&E department in Newry was defeated after mass mobilisation by the community organised by Unite community and industrial branches, alongside others in the local trades council.

Unite community coordinator Albert Hewitt said: “If the Southern Trust doesn’t back off this threat – this community will fight.

“We all know how Stormont cuts NHS services ... black is sold to us as white. So now we are being told an emergency department doesn’t have to provide live-saving emergency surgery.

“The people won’t be fooled. In coming days and weeks, alongside other local health campaigners, Unite community will be hitting the streets and raising opposition to this attack on local access to vital health services.”

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