Northern Ireland

Protesters send 'very important message' over ending emergency surgery at Daisy Hill Hospital

Hundreds march past Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry on Saturday in a rally protesting the moving of emergency surgery to Craigavon.
Hundreds march past Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry on Saturday in a rally protesting the moving of emergency surgery to Craigavon. Hundreds march past Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry on Saturday in a rally protesting the moving of emergency surgery to Craigavon.

ATTENDEES of a public rally calling for emergency surgery services to be saved in Newry have sent a "very important message" to the Southern Health Trust, organisers have said.

Plans to permanently move all emergency surgery in the trust area to Craigavon Area Hospital emerged in January, when the trust put the proposal out for public consultation.

Emergency surgery at Newry's Daisy Hill Hospital ceased in February 2022, in what was described at the time as a temporary "contingency" measure due to "difficulties in recruiting and retaining consultant general surgeons".

The public consultation on the permanent move ended in April.

A public rally was held in Newry on Saturday, with hundreds of people gathering to protest the loss of life-saving services in the area.

Organised by the Save Our Emergency Surgery Committee, its chairperson Fracis Gallagher said: "A very important message has been given to the Southern Health and Social Care Trust regarding their consultation on emergency surgery at Daisy Hill Hospital.

"The people of our region have personally signed approximately 12,000 replies to the consultation and a very large crowd of local and cross-border residents attended...to display their total opposition to the proposals contained within the trust’s consultation.

"After this display of opposition, the trust will have to seriously reconsider their proposals. Surely the main point of a public consultation is to listen to the affected community and what that community are saying and their wishes should be adhered to."

Mr Gallagher added: "I am calling on the trust to listen to our community and stop their proposals immediately and allow the residents of our region to receive the quality health they deserve."

The Southern Trust has said "recruitment of general surgical consultants has been an ongoing challenge across Northern Ireland and work has been ongoing to develop more sustainable emergency and elective surgical services for the whole population".

Speaking of the emergency surgery plan, its chief executive Dr Maria O'Kane said: “Delivering all Emergency General Surgery from the Craigavon site, 24 hours a day, seven days a week is the only way we can safely meet best practice standards, with the staff and resources we have available, offering back up from sub specialist surgical services, intensive care and MRI, if needed, to give our patients the safe, high quality and modern care that they deserve."