A proposal for a Newry hospital to seek assistance from the Republic of Ireland to save its medical services has caused unionist political concerns in council.
Daisy Hill is set to permanently lose its emergency general surgery element and become a “downgraded general hospital” under a Department of Health (DoH) reconfiguration plan.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) has this week approved a motion, which also calls for a public meeting amid a DoH consultation period drawing to an end later this month.
Bringing forward the proposal, Newry SDLP rep Killian Feehan, said: “The consultation that is ongoing by the DoH is about hospitals creating a network for better outcomes.
“I find it really strange that the DoH had scheduled the whole series of public consultations across the north, but had opted to place the Southern Trust consultation in Armagh City.
“That has happened despite the draft recommendation that Daisy Hill should essentially be downgraded in status to a general hospital. I don’t believe this is an appropriate designation for Daisy Hill and I struggle to understand the department’s exclusion of Newry on the consultation for Daisy Hill…when I have attended marches in Newry when thousands of people turned up for Daisy Hill.”
He added: “The part of the motion, which calls on the DoH to engage with the Irish government to identify mechanisms for establishing Daisy Hill as a crossborder area hospital, I understand that for some councillors in the chamber that will be an uncomfortable proposition, but I make it purely on pragmatic reasons. This is not about politics it’s about pragmatism.”
The Hospital Reconfiguration Framework document was launched by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt (UUP) in October 2024.
The proposals in the document outline Daisy Hill as a ‘general hospital’ and Craigavon as an ‘area hospital’.
It is understood, a struggle to recruit and retain consultant general surgeons at the Newry hospital has played a key part in the proposals.
Slieve Gullion UUP cllr, David Taylor said: “Irrespective of what party you belong to, we all certainly want to have the best health services available to all our constituents…and I know the local community want that as well.
“Daisy Hill is a first class service and I want to see that enhanced going forward.
“I do have a concern (with the motion). There is a political context to it, I believe.
“I do have issue regarding the governance and funding on how that would work out.
“It’s not just as straight forward as saying, let’s have a crossborder hospital, but that doesn’t mean I’m against crossborder co-operation.
“Whatever outcome there is from this, I hope it ends up with Daisy Hill being retained as a key component of the hospital network and that is something I have talked about to the previous Health Minister Robin Swann and the current Minster, Mike Nesbitt.”
An amendment from Alliance changing the motion “to establish crossborder health care opportunities” was not accepted with a majority vote approving Cllr Feehan’s motion.
The DoH public meeting will take place in the Armagh City Hotel on Tuesday, February 18 from 7 to 9pm.
