Downloadable Information Sheets with pre-written Response ideas to help answer this Budget Consultation are NOW AVAILABLE – to respond to the Dept of Health’s request for comments to their Equality Assessment of the 2023-24 Budget Outcome
The Department of Health cannot commit one penny of funding towards Health and Social care in Newry & Mourne or at Daisy Hill Hospital unless the Southern Trust asks for it by putting it into their Business Plans and submitting to the Department of Health.
As the Southern Trust have NOT asked or proposed any proper funding for Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry in this Budget – We the people need to speak up and ask instead through this Public Consultation
The 2023-24 Budget EQIA Consultation Deadline is Mon 14th August, so the campaign for fair treatment for Daisy Hill acute Hospital continues, with a renewed call for action for the people of Newry & Mourne, (which includes South Armagh and South Down) and surrounding areas. Please take part and write for your rights.
Based on demographics and other factors, Newry should be confirmed as a location for a new specialised Acute Hospital building so these Response/Comment Sheets to the Equality Assessment of the 2023-24 Budget Outcome are now ready to Download and read for sending responses back to the Department of Health.
To assist you – various information sources including some very good Budget Consultation Responses from the Equality Commission NI and from NI Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) are available from the references section below at the bottom of the article.
What difference will it make if I take part in this Consultation?
Will it make any difference if I take part in this consultation?
Yes, because if you read the quote below from the Consultation Document from the Department of Health it states:
Consultation responses will also be considered in targeting any additional funding that may become available during the financial year.
So if you do not ask – you will not get – but if you ask and make a good deserving case for – we could get the additional funding that Newry & Mourne LGD has needed for a long time for its large population and for its acute Hospital – at Daisy Hill, Newry. As you know, Newry & Mourne has always been the highest LGD population, with the largest population of children in the Southern Trust area. This must be recognised in this Budget.
Quote below from the Department of Health Budget 2023-24 Equality Impact Assessment Document, p31 (p33 pdf page number) shows that the Department is actively seeking for all citizens to comment on these funding proposals. If we have Equality concerns – we must tell them so they can act on them.
“The Department will seek comments on any potential equality implications arising from the budget and will consider the potential for any further mitigating actions in relation to responses received during the consultation. Consultation responses will also be considered in targeting any additional funding that may become available during the financial year.“
Daisy Hill Hospital Rally 2015Save Our Emergency Surgery at Daisy Hill Rally 2023
Thank you! Let us keep up the long running campaign to speak up for Daisy Hill Hospital, the acute Hospital for Newry & Mourne (which includes South Armagh)
Detailed info on the importance of this Consultation is described on Daisy Hill for life website at :
The Department of Health explain the Consultation as follows on their website:
“The Equality Impact Assessment of the 2023-24 Budget Outcome Consultation opened on 22 May 2023. Closing date 14 August 2023 at 23:59. Summary The 2023-24 Budget was announced by the NI Secretary of State on the 27 April 2023. The Budget provides the proposed Resource and Capital investment funding allocations to departments for the 2023-24 financial year. The Department of Health’s Equality Impact Assessment document provides an Equality Impact Assessment of the 2023-24 Budget Outcome for the Department, and we are seeking your comments on the equality implications.“
Registrar General NI Link (which confirms although the 11 council model is in place since April 2015, Health Trusts remain under the former 26 council model). See below
Information on this and other similar topics is also available at the companion Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/daisyhillforlife/ Please Follow or Like the Page to receive updates. Thank you.
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We welcome sharing of this info and the use of excerpts and links, please give full and clear credit to http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com and Daisy Hill for Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank-you.
The Department of Health Budget 2023-24 proposes extra bed capacity & equipment for Craigavon Hospital, as a critical capital scheme, but in complete contrast the Budget proposal for Newry city is to start the construction of a Newry Community Treatment and Care Centre, rather than extra bed capacity or equipment at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry.
So why is this Community Treatment and Care Centre for Newry expressed as a Dept. Of Health critical capital priority scheme when Daisy Hill Hospital is not?
The Department of Health cannot commit one penny of funding towards Health and Social care in Newry & Mourne or at Daisy Hill Hospital unless the Southern Trust asks for it by putting it into their Business Plans and submitting to the Department of Health.
As the Southern Trust have NOT asked or proposed any proper funding for Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry in this Budget – We the people need to speak up and ask instead through this Public Consultation.
Based on accurate population plans –as Newry & Mourne LGD has always had the Highest population in the Southern Trust, Business Plans should have been submitted for the major construction of a New Specialist Acute Hospital development in Newry city– instead of a Community Treatment Centre. This is the feedback the Department of Health need to hear.
The Department of Health have asked for Public Feedback on their 2023/24 Budget proposals Equality Impact Assessment Document (Ref 1) We must use this opportunity to get straight to the decision makers, as to how our public money is being spent and its impact on our future health and economic survival.
BUDGET PROPOSALS 2023/4 – HOW IT AFFECTS YOU: THE PROPOSED NEWRY COMMUNITY TREATMENT AND CARE CENTRE – EXPLAINED IN THE TRUST’S OWN WORDS
“The Trust is continuing to progress plans for a Health and Care centre in Newry which will support the shift of Acute services primarily from Daisy Hill Hospital to a community facility.”
Quote above from the Southern Trust Delivery Plan 2018/19 on the new Newry Community Treatment Centre. p97
The Southern Trust Delivery Plan 2018-19 (Ref 2) is available to download from the References and Links section at the end of this article.
NEWRY COMMUNITY TREATMENT CENTRE TO BE PRIVATELY FINANCED AND CONTRACTED OUT FOR 25 YEARS
The Community Treatment and Care centre for Newry proposal first appeared as a plan in the ‘Transforming Your Care’ Health Reform in 2013. This Newry Community Treatment Centre would NOT be financed using public capital funds like those in Portadown or Banbridge, but would instead be funded by the private sector.
The Southern Trust described this finance deal as a: ‘novel/untested type of procurement known as Third Party Development (3PD)’
“The Trust would enter into a contract for the design, build, finance and maintenance of a community treatment and care centre for a term of 25 years.“
As verified from another source, the Strategic Investment Board (Ref 4 in Links list) states :
“Two pathfinder hub schemes (Newry and Lisburn) were identified in 2013 to test the Third Party Development (3PD) approach.”
ORIGINAL PLAN FOR A NEWRY COMMUNITY TREATMENT CENTRE BASED ON MISREPRESENTED POPULATION SIZES
The Southern Trust plan for a new Community Treatment and Care Centre in Newry first appeared c.2013 when it was encouraged by the Health Minister in charge of the ‘Transforming Your Care’ Health Reform. (TYC)
This TYC Health Reform was informed by the Southern Locality Population Plan and Tables which misrepresented the population sizes of the 5 Localities (LGDs) in the Southern Trust area.
In these ‘population plans’ the Newry & Mourne LGD was incorrectly represented as the smallest locality in the Southern Trust, instead of correctly showing it as the Locality (LGD) with the highest population in the Southern Trust and the smaller population of Craigavon LGD population size was enhanced by adding it to Banbridge LGD population. (for details on this – See Ref 3 link at very end of article below).
This population size misrepresentation / error has had implications on funding decisions ever since.
Based on accurate population plans –as Newry & Mourne LGD has always had the highest Locality/LGD population in the Southern Trust, business plans should have been submitted for the major construction of a New Specialist Acute Hospital development in Newry – instead of just proposals to build a privately funded Newry Community Treatment Centre.
Daisy Hill acute Hospital in Newry city has no nearby alternative Hospital and has no alternative support Hospital, unlike Craigavon which has 2 non acute support Hospitals, (Lurgan 2 miles away and South Tyrone).
The population of Craigavon are 20 minutes motorway journey from Belfast and from several major acute hospitals in Belfast city and in nearby Ulster Hospital. Newry city needs its designated acute hospital as well as a Community Treatment Centre just like Craigavon in Portadown.
EQUALITY CHECKS FOR THESE BUDGET PROPOSALS – THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE
You can use your democratic right to express your opinions on how the money is spent by taking part in this consultation on the Budget Equality Document.
If you want to give your views on how the Department of Health here proposes to spend your hard earned Public Money on Health Services and where these future services exist, contributing to health, the economy and job prospects both medical and construction and all associated jobs linked to a hospital – this is your chance.
This Department of Health Budget EQIA 2023-24 which proposes extra bed capacity & equipment for Craigavon Hospital, should also have had equivalent funding for a new Specialist Acute Hospital building for Newry city, for its large population to keep in line with Equality and Rural Needs Legislation. This important Budget Consultation is open until Monday 14th August 2023.
Short Suggested Answers to this Consultation (along with reasons) will be presented on Daisy for Life on facebook and on this website very very soon at https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/posts/
Liking and Sharing these posts can help support the campaign. Thank you.
REFERENCES AND LINKS
CONSULTATION LINK
Ref 1: Link to the Department of Health NI Consultation: Equality Impact Assessment of the 2023-24 Budget Outcome:
NEWRY COMMUNITY TREATMENT CENTRE TO BE 3PD (THIRD PARTY /PRIVATELY DEVELOPED) LINK
Ref 4: The Strategic Investment Board’s website describes the plan that the Newry Community Treatment Centre would be funded as a third party development: “Two pathfinder hub schemes (Newry and Lisburn) were identified in 2013 to test the Third Party Development (3PD) approach” Read the full article from this link: Strategic Investment Board NI -project -3pd-primary-and-community-care-programme/
Information on this and other similar topics is also available at the companion Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/daisyhillforlife/ Please Follow or Like the Page to receive updates. Thank you.
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We are many, we are strong and the Law is here to protect our Right to Healthcare
POPULATION NEED IN NEWRY & MOURNE
Newry & Mourne LGD* has always had the highest population; highest number of births and highest number of children aged under 18 of the five localities /LGDs) in the Southern Trust area.
(*See below for info on the 5 LGD populations in the Southern Trust )
Population Need: Newry & District GP Federation
Newry & District with 159,599 patients – has the 2nd Highest number of patients registered with the 17 GP Federations in all NI. (Derry is the highest and Newry & District is the Second Highest. Figures: 2021/22)
Newry & District has the 2nd Highest number of children in NI under 18 (36,117). Figures: 2021/22)
* The Newry & Mourne LGD is still relevant as the former 26 Council Model is still used today in terms of the ‘operational areas’ of the Health and Social Care Trusts in NI.
There are FIVE Local Government Districts (LGDs) in the Southern Trust area. In consistent order of population size since the Southern Health Trust was established in 2007, they rank:
>(1st) Newry & Mourne
>(2nd) Craigavon
>(3rd) Armagh
>(4th) Dungannon
>(5th) Banbridge.
Newry & Mourne LGD has a population of 106,813 with 28,116 (Children Under-18s) (2020 NISRA )
Newry & Mourne LGD has always had the highest population; highest number of births and highest number of children aged under 18 of the five localities /LGDs) in the Southern Trust area.
LAWS WHICH PROTECT YOU RE: HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE /PUBLIC SERVICES
>Human Rights Act 1998, (Right to life…etc)
>NI Act 1998, (Section 75 Equality categories including disability, political opinion, race, and so on)
>Fair Treatment and Employment Legislation (Access to premises)
>The Southern Health Social Services Trust (Establishment) Order (NI) 2006
>The Southern Health Social Services Trust (Dissolution Order) (NI) 2006
>Managing Public Money (NI)
We have to pre-pay for our hospital services in Daisy Hill Acute Area Hospital, Newry city through Regional Rates, Taxes and National insurance deductions from our wages so are entitled to value for money.
The Population need in Newry & Mourne and all Laws shown here must be adhered to by all relevant authorities when they commission and/or remove hospital services and accommodation.
Information on this and other similar topics is also available at the companion Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/daisyhillforlife/ Please Follow or Like the Page to receive updates. Thank you.
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We welcome sharing of this info and the use of excerpts and links, please give full and clear credit to http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com and Daisy Hill for Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank-you.
The most urgent Capital Priority and counter proposal when answering the Southern Trust Emergency Surgery Consultation is to build a Major new Specialist Acute Hospital in Newry city – not a community treatment centre.
This Capital Priority needed right now for Newry & Mourne is funding and business plan for a Specialist Acute Hospital building for the area, as agreed at Government level in 2005 so it is LONG overdue.
According to the Southern Trust, the Department of Health NI has allocated £4.5 million to spend on progressing acute health services in Newry city. The Trust says this funding was to purchase a site at Abbey Way, Newry and associated design for a new community treatment centre. But to progress acute services they should be provided in an ACUTE HOSPITAL in Newry just like in Craigavon – not just in a treatment centre. The £4.5million site, at Abbey Way, Newry, is large enough and the ideal place for a NEW Major Specialist Acute Hospital Building.
Official statistics have proven over and over that the large size of the growing population in the long established settlement in Newry & District justifies funding for a new build major Specialist Acute hospital in Newry City, as since 1971, Newry & Mourne LGD has always been in the top 4 highest populations in NI (after Belfast, Lisburn (Greater Belfast) and Derry) and Newry & Mourne LGD is projected to be the 3rd Highest by 2026. (A higher population than Derry) (NISRA)
Funding plans for a new hospital to upgrade Daisy Hill Acute Hospital were announced for Newry by previous Secretary of State, Sir Peter Hain in 2005 to match the population size. This funding has still not been followed up by the Southern Trust in their Capital Priorities Programme submitted to the Department of Health/ DoH, but the population has not forgotten.
Building a new Specialist Acute Area Hospital building in Newry could then complement the Daisy Hill Hospital building, if the intention is to reconfigure Daisy Hill into a ring-fenced elective care centre (instead of a specialist acute hospital) as the Southern Trust have proposed.
The proposed removal of Emergency Surgery from Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry city to Craigavon is forefront in people’s minds. At the recent public meeting in the Canal Court Hotel, the few people who were allowed to speak made it clear to the Southern Trust representatives there that they were totally opposed to removal of emergency surgery, and questioned the Trust’s constant removal of acute services from Newry, as well as the Southern Trust’s failure to provide beds for patients and diagnostic equipment for Staff in Daisy Hill, Newry city.
If the DoH and Southern Trust are now ready to offer some long overdue capital investment to actually provide specialist acute services in a specialist hospital in Newry instead of transferring services, beds and equipment to Craigavon, then the people of Newry & Mourne, South Armagh and surrounding areas may well be interested in their proposals.
If the Southern Trust fail to provide for the Newry & Mourne population, and keep up this policy of transferring specialist services to Craigavon, they will be called out on this as it goes against the Rural Needs Act and other legislation.
Calls for fair treatment can be expressed through talking to Councillors, asking for an emergency Council meeting and through responding in writing to the Consultation on Emergency Surgery.
The Southern Trust need to listen to what we want – not continue telling us what we can’t have.
This is the one and only chance in your lifetime you are ever going to get to write to the Southern Trust what you want, what you pay for through Rates and Taxes, and more importantly what you are entitled to. The Southern Trust have a statutory duty to take into account in their decision making and responses, any suggestions you make in reply to the consultation on removal of emergency surgery from Newry to Craigavon.
That is why when 19,000 people including over 12,000 people from this area opposed the centralisation of Stroke services to Craigavon, Altnagelvin and Belfast the Department of Health couldn’t go ahead with their unfair proposals because of the opposition.
We have a right to challenge the constant removal of Specialist Acute Services especially Emergency Surgery and Emergency Medical Services from Newry to Craigavon.
Daisy Hill for Life is asking people of Newry, Mourne and Down to write NO to the questions in the Southern Trust Consultation Questionnaire on centralising Emergency surgery to Craigavon.
Please also speak/write to your Councillors, MLAs, MPs and Trade Unions asking them for their support in rejecting the Southern Trust’s proposal to remove Emergency Surgery from Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry. (How to contact them : see this page: https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/how-you-can-help/ )
Please also ask for their support for the need for the long overdue Major new Specialist Acute Hospital Building in Newry – not a community treatment centre. A new Major Specialist Acute Hospital building will also bring huge economic benefits to Newry, including construction jobs.
Read how Newry & Mourne Local Government District was incorrectly made to look like the smallest population in Southern Trust area when it was really the largest, in a crucially important Population Plan Table, created in 2013 for the influential ‘Transforming Your Care’ Health Review – Playing with numbers, playing with people’s lives
This article also gives vitally important information on the population sizes of the 5 Local Government Districts which make up the Southern Health and Social Care Trust operational area.
Information on this and other similar topics is also available at the companion Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/daisyhillforlife/ Please Follow or Like the Page to receive updates. Thank you.
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
We welcome sharing of this info and the use of excerpts and links, please give full and clear credit to http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com and Daisy Hill for Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank-you.
Daisy Hill Hospital for Life 