SDLP rejects Daisy Hill Hospital stroke service proposals
SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Justin McNulty has voiced his party’s opposition to the proposed changes to stroke services which would see services moved from Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry to Craigavon Area Hospital.
McNulty was speaking following the public meeting in Newry this week. “Daisy Hill is a wonderful hospital with outstanding and committed Physicians, Nurses, Techs, Therapists, Medical Assistants and Pharmacists who together with hard-working administrative and support teams ensure incredible levels of care for thousands of patients on an annual basis.
“A lot of great work has been done in recent years to secure the future of the hospital and its acute hospital status. In fact, it is brilliant to know that in the last number of years, an additional 48 medical posts have been created and filled in the hospital.”
He continued, “However, it is ludicrous to suggest such a hospital with a thriving Emergency Department cannot treat stroke patients. The proposals would see a patient who has suffered a stroke in Newry or South Armagh drive past Daisy Hill Hospital to Craigavon Area Hospital for treatment.
“This would be madness and I believe would be putting lives at risk,” he insisted.
“Tonight’s meeting was positive and a good first step. We know how much progress we made through the Pathfinder process for the Emergency Department and I hope the community and their political representatives can unite around the common goal of retaining our stroke services.
“Daisy Hill and its services belong to us all, not to one group or political grouping and I am delighted to have received the backing of those in attendance tonight for this unified approach,” the local MLA added.
SDLP Councillor for Newry City Michael Savage added, “Stroke Services are key to the holistic and caring health service being provided at Daisy Hill Hospital and we must strongly resist any proposals to strip our hospital of these services.
“The proposals by the Department of Health are mindboggling. They use hospital services in Britain as a benchmark for these changes that do not reflect the rural geography of this region.
“Daisy Hill Hospital serves a large population from Newry to the depths of the Mournes and to the outer limits of South Armagh. Vast parts of this area are made up of rural communities with poor roads and infrastructure.
“There has been little or no consideration given to cross border cooperation or provision for stoke services. This means there will be no service south of Craigavon to Drogheda. North-South co-operation makes sense and in healthcare it allows for an efficient use of resources but this hasn’t even been on the radar.
“What is very apparent from the proposals is the dependence on the Ambulance Service and a process of reform within that organisation.
“To put these proposals out to the public domain without any comprehensive reform and investment in the Ambulance Service is just madness. Ambulance response times are on the rise here and that’s why communities have formed First Responder Groups in our rural communities. These proposals are putting lives at risk,” he added.
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Posted by Newry Times News
on Apr 5 2019. Filed under Community.
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