CAMPAIGNERS for Daisy Hill Hospital, which has now seen it services plunged into crisis following the removal of its emergency surgery last year, have urged the politicians of Fermanagh to stand up for local SWAH patients and help save our own services.
The appeal comes after health chiefs agreed this week to send doctors from Craigavon to the Newry hospital to help stabilise its services.
On Monday, after it emerged Daisy Hill was in “meltdown” following an exodus of consultants in recent months, community campaigners from the area met with officials at the Department of Health, including permanent secretary Peter May, to discuss efforts to stabilise its services.
The meeting – which the Department said was focused on “safeguarding service provision, minimising potential bed reductions and protecting the Emergency Department” – came after the hospital lost its stroke services last week, and the Southern Trust proposed cutting the hospital’s capacity by up to 100 beds.
Chairman of the Daisy Hill Hospital Save Our Emergency Surgery Committee, Francis Gallagher, told the Herald at least nine doctors had left the hospital since emergency surgery was removed from the hospital in February last year.
“In some situations they just weren’t getting the right support from senior management,” he said, echoing a similar sentiment recently expressed by former SWAH doctors.
Mr Gallagher said the meeting with the health officials on Monday was positive, but concerns remained.
“They have a plan in place now, they’re going to bring some doctors over from Craigavon to Daisy Hill,” he said. “They said the number of beds being cut won’t be as many. They seem to be reversing back a bit from what they originally proposed.”
Mr Gallagher added that his group had also stressed to officials that the SWAH was facing a similar situation, and noted Fermanagh patients were in a worse situation as they had to travel even further for emergency surgery.
One of the suggestions raised at the meeting, which Mr Gallagher said would also work at the SWAH, was to give the hospital more autonomy, such as over its own budget and the recruitment and development of medical staff.
Regarding the positive developments at the meeting, Mr Gallagher said he believed local political pressure had played a part.
“I would suggest you get your senior political parties to apply their influence,” he said, urging politicians here to “get on the phone to Peter May” to stand up for patients here.
Despite the assurances from the Department and the Trust, however, Mr Gallagher said the community in Newry would be continuing with its public protest on Saturday 25th, following a huge community meeting held by his group last week “after news broke of the hospital basically going into meltdown.”
“The room was full, and people were really, really furious with what’s going on,” he said.
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