Tag Archives: Health and Social Care Board

02.20.22
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TIME TO ADDRESS EQUALITY – SOUTHERN TRUST MUST ADDRESS SECTION 75 DUTIES – DURING THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, NOT AFTERWARDS.

Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry City –the Acute Area Hospital for Newry & Mourne, South Armagh
Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry City – the Acute Area Hospital for Newry &Mourne, South Armagh

It appears that the Southern Trust have decided, against the wishes of the people who have paid for the service, to remove Emergency Surgery from Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry City from 28th February 2022, leaving the population abandoned without any nearby alternative to provide life saving Emergency Surgery.

This highly controversial decision has been made by the Southern Trust without any Public Consultation, or  Equality Impact Assessment showing they had not given due regard  to their duties under Section 75 of the 1998 NI Act.

These Section 75 duties have to be addressed DURING the decision-making process, NOT AFTERWARDS. The Equality Commission in NI gives clear guidance to Public Authorities on their duties under Section 75 NI 1998 Act.

The Southern Trust are required under Section 75 of the 1998 NI Act to address the impact their decision to remove Emergency Surgery will have on people of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status, sexual orientation, men and women generally, people who are disabled and those who are not and people who have dependants and those without in the Newry, Mourne South Down and South Armagh Area.

The three good relations categories are: people of different religious belief; political opinion and racial group.

It is a fundamental right of everyone who is in need of Immediate life saving Emergency Surgical Care to be seen immediately as at present in all of the ten Emergency Departments in NI no matter where they are located within NI.

Just as in the Western Trust (with a total population of 301,448*) there is need for TWO Specialist Acute Stroke Units - so too, the Southern Trust (with a larger population of 380,312*) is also entitled to TWO Specialist Stroke Units (HASUs and Acute Stroke Units), at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry and Craigavon Hospital. This would ensure that everyone in the Southern Trust has immediate access to CT scanning and life saving thrombolysis, followed by direct access into a stroke unit.
Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry City is the longest established major acute hospital in the Southern Trust 

The people of Newry & Mourne (which includes South Down and South Armagh) continue to pay extensively through Rates and Taxes including National Insurance contributions to ensure they have a fully functioning Acute Hospital with a 24/7 Type 1 Emergency Surgery and Emergency Medical Department, to look after their population should they need it when they are at their most sick and vulnerable at the Newry & Mourne, South Armagh Area Hospital at Daisy Hill.

Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry City is the longest established major acute hospital in the Southern Trust – We have a right to have our say through meaningful Public Consultation and be shown Equality Impact Assessments when any service the Southern Trust must provide is being taken away. We have prepaid for our Life Saving Emergency services and are entitled to Value for Money the same as everyone else in NI.

This is not up for negotiation.

Newry & Mourne has always had the largest population in the operational area of the Southern Trust with a population of 106,813 including 28,116 aged Under 18. (NISRA 2020).

Newry City must have a fully functioning Major Acute Hospital which includes Consultant Led Type 1 ED with Emergency Surgery like all of the Acute Hospital Type 1 Regional Network EDs in NI.

KEYFACTS

Daisy Hill Acute Hospital is located in Newry, Gateway City to NI, where (in Jan to Dec 2021) 51,668 men, women and children needed Emergency Surgical and/or Emergency Medical Care.

In the year April 2018 to March 2019 (before the Southern Trust closed DHH ED at the start of Covid) over 2,200 patients were admitted to Daisy Hill acute Hospital for non-elective surgery through the Emergency Department.

This is a clear indication of the need for this vital life saving service

Section 75 duties have to be addressed DURING the decision-making process, NOT AFTERWARDS. The Equality Commission in NI gives clear guidance to Public Authorities on their duties under Section 75 NI 1998 Act.
Section 75 Duties must be addressed by Public Authorities
Section 75 duties must be addressed DURING the decision-making process, NOT AFTERWARDS. The Equality Commission in NI gives clear guidance to Public Authorities on their duties under Section 75 NI 1998 Act.

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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02.15.22
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WAITING TIMES IN EDs ACROSS N.I. SHOW CENTRALISATION OF EMERGENCY SURGERY FROM DAISY HILL HOSPITAL, NEWRY CITY TO CRAIGAVON IS NOT A SAFE OR VIABLE OPTION

N. Ireland Acute Hospital Emergency Dept Waiting Times 2021


The Southern Trust’s proposal to centralise Emergency Surgery from Daisy Hill Hospital Type 1 Emergency Department, Newry City, expecting patients needing immediate life saving emergency surgery to go to Craigavon, is not a viable or safe alternative.

As the accompanying ED Attendances Waiting Times Table shows: in the year Jan 2021 to Dec 2021 Craigavon ED had 11,009 patients who had to wait over 12 hours to be seen, discharged or admitted to hospital.

Dr Paul Kerr, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Northern Ireland on a BBC programme on 12 Feb 2022 speaking about long delays and long waits in Emergency Departments in NI in December 2021 said:

“The situation in Emergency Departments in Northern Ireland is dire, the data show that it is very bad indeed. The reality is that patient care is now regularly being compromised, their safety is at risk.
“We know that delays and long-waits in Emergency Departments are closely associated with patient harm and poor outcomes. The Royal College’s report ‘Crowding and its Consequences’ found that one in 67 patients waiting for 12 hours or more are associated with avoidable harm or potential death within 30 days.”

Southern Trust - highest number on Urgent Waiting list for CT scan in 2017-18, in all NI Health Trusts

It is because nobody knows who is going to need Emergency Surgery or Emergency Medical Care that the Regional Network of Type 1 EDs (in the accompanying Table) were designated IN ALL 10 Acute Hospitals in a FAIR GEOGRAPHICAL provision of Emergency Surgical and Emergency Care across NI.

Centralisation of Emergency surgery from Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry City to Craigavon is not a safe or viable option.

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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© Daisy Hill for Life on Facebook and http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com, 2015 – 2023

© Daisy Hill for Life on Facebook and http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com, 2015 – 2023. We welcome sharing of this info and the use of excerpts and links, provided that full and clear credit is given to http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com and Daisy Hill for Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank-you.

08.02.17
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Balanced Representation for Newry and Mourne population essential before Daisy Hill Hospital ED Pathfinder discussions

Balanced Representation for the population of Newry & Mourne is essential – before any initial Daisy Hill Hospital Pathfinder discussions on future Consultant led 24/7 Emergency Services and Acute services in Newry City.

 After initial inspection of the membership of the Pathfinder Project Group from the documents – we assert that it is unfairly balanced in favour of the Southern Trust (SHSCT)/Board management in overall membership. (See PIE CHART 1)

Initial suggested membership of Daisy Hill Hospital Emergency Department Pathfinder Group is unfairly balanced in favour of the Southern Trust and Health Board management

REDRESS THE BALANCE

To redress the planning and decision making balance, we are suggesting some immediate changes to the make-up of this Pathfinder Group before any community involvement is even considered, to ensure a level playing field with equal voting rights. This will ensure that community involvement is meaningful and actually impacts upon the decision making and is not merely a box ticking exercise.

NEED FOR EQUAL REPRESENTATION

As the Southern Trust Management feel they are entitled to choose 13 members including the Chair, we are also entitled to choose an EQUAL number of members representing the community of patients, service users, families, staff and politicians, from the Newry, Mourne and South Armagh Locality. (See PIE CHART 2)

Redress the balance of Daisy Hill Hospital Emergency Department Pathfinder Group with an equal number of members representing the community of patients, service users, families, staff and politicians, from the Newry, Mourne and South Armagh Locality

We need to make sure that this is a proper forum and not just a communications pilot exercise by the Southern Trust in their attempt to implement the criteria from the Bengoa Report and the Transformation Implementation Group’s agenda.

There is a responsibility on all sides to ensure the community’s views are gathered, recorded and represented fairly.

CONCLUSION

In view of the seriousness of the threat of change / withdrawal of life-saving ACUTE AND EMERGENCY Services for both children and adults; we are entitled to full consultation and fair representation on the Daisy Hill Hospital Pathfinder Group as shown in Pie Chart 2. The Pathfinder Group is also known as the ‘SHSCT Task and Finish Group.’

Why have we not been given a level playing field in voting rights and a proper consultation?  We need to be assured of equal voting rights and proper consultation immediately.

This is not an ‘exciting project’ for us – we are the people who will bear the brunt of the removal of ED services which deals with all life threatening Emergencies WHERE EVERY MINUTE COUNTS. The present and future lives and outcomes of everyone who needs ACUTE and ED Services in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital are worth fighting for.

We should not have to fight to get Acute & ED services which we have paid for, and is our right.

Background info:

Project Name: Daisy Hill Hospital Emergency Department Pathfinder Project With Identification of Regional Learning.

You can follow the Daisy Hill Acute Hospital campaign also by visiting and liking our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/daisyhillforlife/ – Thank you.

© Daisy Hill for Life on Facebook and http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com, 2015 – 2017. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com and Daisy Hill for Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank-you!

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07.26.17
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DAISY HILL HOSPITAL ED PATHFINDER PROJECT – PROPOSALS 1

Daisy Hill Acute Hospital Emergency Department serves the entire area of Newry and Mourne and South Armagh the largest popultation in the Southern Trust

The people of Newry & Mourne have been invited to take part in Daisy Hill Hospital Emergency Pathfinder meetings with Dr Anne-Marie Telford to discuss how they can work with the Southern Trust:

“to develop a long term plan which will stabilise, safeguard and sustain local emergency care services.” 

We have some thoughts and proposals on this for you to consider – Are these meetings, instead of just being about the Emergency Department – also part of a verbal consultation by the Southern Trust and Health and Social Care Board that starts us on the Bengoa Report Reform, which includes the further change/withdrawal of services, without telling us?

It seems likely, as the Bengoa Report places Emergency & urgent care as Priority 1 : in most need of reform.

In this post we would like to suggest some questions which need answers, and put forward proposals for readers to consider. We think the proposals could be a good starting point to help tackle this concern.

hospital corridor

 

WHAT WILL THE COMMUNITY GAIN FROM TAKING PART IN THE PATHFINDER PROJECT?

What difference will these August meetings make to secure PERMANENT, LONG TERM Consultant- led 24/7 EMERGENCY & ACUTE services in Newry, Mourne and South Armagh Area Acute Hospital – Daisy Hill?

We request that the Southern Trust and Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) explain urgently to the public exactly what they are asking us to support by participating in the Pathfinder Project.  As it is not clear, we request the SHSCT and HSCB to publicly tell us what’s in it for us and WHAT IS AT STAKE before they ask us to participate in individual interviews with Dr Telford.

Daisy Hill Hospital Emergency Department is vital for stroke and life threatening emergencies

Proposals to help deal with the unanswered questions

WHAT WE CALL FOR:  (PROPOSAL 1)

(1) The Health Board/Trust /Public Health Authority host a PUBLIC MEETING in Newry City with the following agenda:

(a) To inform the public the clear purpose of the Pathfinder Project

(b) To give a clear explanation on exactly which services are being ‘changed or withdrawn’ from Daisy Hill Acute Hospital.

(c) Explain what progress the SHSCT recruitment team have made to date, with regard to recruitment for Daisy Hill Emergency Department.

(d) Tell us what Questions will be asked in the verbal interviews with Dr Anne-Marie Telford.

WHAT WE CALL FOR:  (PROPOSAL 2)

(2) We would like A FULL WRITTEN CONSULTATION (as part of the first 20 weeks of the Pathfinder Project) so we can make an informed decision before participating.

The 2 Proposals explained

(1) PUBLIC MEETING, hosted by the Health and Social Care Board/ Public Health Authority/ Southern Trust,  required to be held in Newry City to address and answer the following 4 important Questions.

(1a)What is the PURPOSE of the Pathfinder Project?

Before we consider participation in the Pathfinder Project – it would be mutually beneficial if the Southern Trust (SHSCT), Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and Public Health Authority hold a public meeting in Newry City (in a suitable large venue) where they can openly explain to the wider public, hospital staff and Unions exactly what is the clear purpose of the Pathfinder Project. This is an opportunity for the SHSCT and HSCB to explain to the public their future long term plans for Newry Mourne and South Armagh Area Acute Hospital – Daisy Hill.

(1B) WHICH DAISY HILL ACUTE HOSPITAL SERVICES WILL BE AFFECTED?

Rather than using the blanket terms of ‘Acute and Emergency services’ in the Pathfinder Project Documents – we request that the Southern Trust and HSCB explain to us in plain language and define exactly which ‘ACUTE AND EMERGENCY CARE’ services in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital will be affected and will they be  changed or withdrawn?

Does the term ‘unscheduled care needs’ or ‘Acute and Emergency Care ’ mean all  scenarios including  children’s emergency, emergency surgery, stroke, heart, unavoidable accidents (work, school, home  and sporting accidents)? Does this also include emergency treatment for car accident victims and emergency caesareans where there is only 30 minutes to save the life of mother and baby? Under EU directives there must be a functioning hospital for mothers and babies. In addition – what ACUTE SERVICES are being affected?

What progress have the Southern Trust recruitment team made to date recruiting for Daisy Hill Emergency department?

(1C) WHAT PROGRESS HAVE THE RECRUITMENT TEAM MADE?

As the original issue publicly reported by the Southern Trust was RECRUITMENT of medical staff for DHH at night in the Summer months – At this public meeting we need to see the continued detailed efforts of the SHSCT Recruitment Team in finding medical staff for Daisy Hill ACUTE HOSPITAL. This must include the detailed job adverts for Craigavon Hospital as well as for Daisy Hill Hospital.

1 (d) We would also like the public meeting to advise us what Questions will be asked in the verbal meetings with Dr Anne-Marie Telford and how will this information be recorded/collated? How will this information be reported back to the Pathfinder group? What impact will it have?

(2) WE REQUEST A FULL WRITTEN CONSULTATION, and not just a verbal consultation

– a written consultation is our right under ‘Change or Withdrawal’ of services. While some may welcome the opportunity to attend a face to face consultation, not everyone will be able, or available to attend the meetings so there must be a written option too.

As part of ‘meaningful consultation’ – Under the 2009 Act on ‘change or withdrawal of services’ – we are entitled to 3 months WRITTEN PUBLIC CONSULTATION so we can make an informed decision BEFORE we participate in the Pathfinder Project. This written consultation must be included as part of the first 20 week period – as a ‘final decision’ is being made after 20 weeks. We need to know what impact will this ‘final decision’ have on ‘acute and emergency care services’ in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry City?

As part of this consultation document the Southern Trust and the HSCB should tell us in writing, exactly what service change they are planning and why, in clear terms.

We require a full written consultation for Daisy Hill Acute Hospital Emergency Pathfinder Project

A comparison with the Consultation into the Belfast Trust’s change in Adult Emergency Department services

This WRITTEN CONSULTATION must include OPTIONS for possible reconfiguration of services as was undertaken by the HSCB Board for withdrawal of Adult Emergency services in the urban areas of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust when ED services were only being moved (approx 1.2 miles down the road) from the City Hospital to the Royal. It is vital to note that in the Belfast consultation, the children’s emergency services were not threatened with closure. The HSCB Consultation in Belfast included detailed written explanation for the public.

Newry & Mourne, as the largest locality in the Southern Trust should have the same written public consultation as the population of the Belfast Trust – now- at the start of this 80 week project for the public to be meaningful involved from the start.

CONCLUSION

The united community of Newry and Mourne works together for Daisy Hill Acute Hospital

CALL TO ACTION: If you agree with these proposals/ideas:

Please write to the Chairperson/Mayor of Newry, Mourne & Down Council; Councillor Roisin Mulgrew and also to all our MPs, MLAs and Councillors who represent us, and ask for the following:

  1.  A PUBLIC MEETING hosted by the Health and Social Care Board/ Public Health Authority/ Southern Trust in Newry City addressing the 4 points in this post above.
  2. A written public consultation to accompany the Pathfinder Project in addition to the verbal meetings.

REFERENCES & CONTACT INFO for public representatives:

Newry Mourne & Down Council

Mayor of Newry, Mourne & Down Council; Councillor Roisin Mulgrew

By Post: Newry, Mourne & Down Council, Monaghan Row, Newry, BT35 8DJ, Northern Ireland.
By Email: roisin.mulgrew@nmandd.org
Newry, Mourne and Down Council Telephone: 0300 013 2233

Chief Executive; Mr Liam Hannaway at the same address or by email, care of: info@nmandd.org

Elected members (Councillors) :

http://www.newrymournedown.org/elected_members

MLAs; MP; MEPs

A List of our MLAs and MP, MEPs is available to view at: Write to them website

Newry & Armagh MLAs

Contact info: http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/contacts.aspx

From this page, Filter by Constituency > Newry & Armagh

Then select Address> Constituency Offices for local contact addresses for MLAs.

Please EMAIL your councillors MLAs and MPs to support Daisy Hill Acute Hospital

Thank you for reading this post. Please share the proposals if you agree. We must all stay united and continue to support Daisy Hill Acute Hospital and its wonderful dedicated staff.

You can follow the Daisy Hill Acute Hospital campaign also by visiting and liking our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/daisyhillforlife/ – Thank you.

© Daisy Hill for Life on Facebook and http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com, 2015 – 2017. We welcome the sharing of excerpts and links, provided that full and clear credit is given to http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com and Daisy Hill for Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank-you!

This website is a free website from WordPress and adverts which appear here are not endorsed or controlled by the Web admin team of Save Daisy Hill Hospital.com

08.18.15
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Access to hospital services

Land mass area of Southern Health and social services Trust. Infographic by Daisy Hill for life 2015

Infographic by Daisy Hill for Life

Every hospital service the Southern Trust centralises to Craigavon from Daisy Hill Acute hospital, Newry makes it nearly impossible for the Ambulance Service to respond within acceptable time limits. The Southern Trust state in their Delivery Plan (Draft) 2015/16 it is not applicable to them that 72.5% of Category A ( Life Threatening) calls are responded to within 8 minutes by ambulances.

The Southern Trust’s attitude of get there whatever way you can to access hospital services both to the population of Newry and the Greater Newry and Mourne, Area of Banbridge and Armagh, and to Ambulance Personnel must be questioned. The Southern Trust need to address this urgently. They take no responsibility that every hospital service the Southern Trust centralises to Craigavon from Daisy Hill Acute hospital, Newry makes it nearly impossible for the Ambulance Service to respond within acceptable time limits.The diagram shows the vast area the Ambulance Service must cover to bring patients to only one acute Hospital in Craigavon, in the most Northern Area of the Southern Trust.

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