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.
Hospital services are paid for with public money – funded by your Regional rates, Taxes and National Insurance Contributions. In 2021/22 The Southern Trust had an income of £944,707,000* (nearly £945 million). Management costs were £29,092,000* (c £29.1 million).
>How much of this c. £945 million was spent on Specialist Acute Inpatient Services and Emergency Services in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry in 2021 -2022?
>How much of this c. £945 million was spent on Specialist Acute Inpatient Services and Emergency Services in Craigavon Hospital in 2021 -2022?
>Are Newry & Mourne population (the largest LGD /locality population in the Southern Trust) getting VALUE FOR MONEY?
There are TWO Government designated Acute Hospitals in the Southern Trust – the longest established is Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry city which is situated in the Newry & Mourne LGD –CONSISTENTLY THE HIGHEST LOCALITY/LGD population in the Southern Trust.
Graphic by Daisy Hill for life
The second Acute Hospital is Craigavon Hospital in Portadown (situated in Craigavon LGD -the second largest locality population in the Southern Trust area, where Newry & Mourne LGD is the highest population)
CRAIGAVON HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT PRIORITISED AGAIN (p43 OF SOUTHERN TRUST LATEST ANNUAL REPORT)
The Southern Trust Annual Report & Accounts 2021-22 gives information on how much is being spent overall in the Southern Trust – but the public need to know that the money is being spent FAIRLY across its acute hospitals according to population size/need.
The public need to know this especially because Craigavon Hospital redevelopment once again gets prioritizedin the Southern Trust 10 year Capital Long term Expenditure Plans (p43) but despite the long overdue population-based need and requirement in Newry & Mourne –there is NO MENTION of Long Term Expenditure Plans for the Redevelopment of Daisy Hill Hospital , Newry city, in this same 10 year review of capital priorities statement, as shown quoted below:
“as part of a 10 year review of capital priorities, the Southern HSC Trust has identified a need for investment in excess of some £430m. THIS INCLUDES REDEVELOPMENT OF CRAIGAVON AREA HOSPITAL together with much needed infrastructure, backlog maintenance and diagnostic equipment requirements.”
This Southern Trust Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 can be accessed and read in full from the link at the end of the article under Background and References.
IMPORTANT: WHCH LOCALITIES (LGDs) ARE INCLUDED IN THE SOUTHERN TRUST AREA?
IN LEGAL TERMS the Southern Trust area includes ONLY 5 (former) LGDs of (1) Newry & Mourne, (2) Craigavon, (3) Armagh, (4)Dungannon and (5) Banbridge. (Ref: Establishment Order 2006)
The 2006 Order also makes it very clear that accommodation and services should be provided in each of six named hospitals, with addresses, including Daisy Hill, Newry. It does not say all hospital accommodation and services should be centralised to Craigavon only as the Southern Trust are determined to do.
The operational area of the Southern Trust is NOT Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon; Mid-Ulster; and Newry, Mourne and Down council – This Southern Trust Annual Report has got this wrong on the Southern Trust operational area on p9 of the Southern Trust Annual Report & Accounts 2021/22.
Important:
In Legislation ‘Down’ is in the operational area of the South Eastern Trust and ‘Mid Ulster’ (Cookstown and Magherafelt) are in the Northern Trust.
HEALTH SERVICES COMMISSIONING
The number of people living within a locality (LGD) and assessed population need is supposed to be the primary factor when commissioning health Services so as Newry & Mourne LGD is the highest locality population in the Southern Trust – this should also be reflected in the funding spent on Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry and its Specialist Acute Inpatient services and Emergency services.
Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry was designated in its own right one of the 9 major Acute Hospitals in NI since 2003 (as part of Developing Better Services). As such it is entitled to funding for a fully functioning acute hospital with 24/7 Consultant Led Accident and Emergency Services and 24 /7 Consultant Led Maternity Services.
It was not designated as a ‘support or local hospital’ to Craigavon (as the Southern Trust nominated it to be in 2010) or designated just as a regional elective centre as has been decided without any form of Consultation WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PAYING FOR a fully functioning acute hospital.
Newry & Mourne LGD needs re-imbursement for Hospital funding due to population plan errors in the Southern Trust area > For vitally important information and explanation why Daisy Hill, Newry requires this re-imbursement for Hospital funding due to crucial errors -see the Daisy Hill for Life website – by clicking on the picture LINK below:
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.
Information on this and other similar topics is also available at the companion Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/daisyhillforlife/ Pls Share and Like posts to show your support and please Follow or Like the Page to receive updates. Thank you.
FACT: For over 50 YEARS since 1971, Newry & Mourne LGD has ranked in the TOP 4 HIGHEST POPULATIONS in NI with Belfast, Lisburn (Greater Belfast) and Derry. (As verified by NISRA Statistics).
Based on the population size of Newry & Mourne LGD, (106,813 people in 2020 (NISRA) – Newry City should have a Major Specialist state of the art Acute hospital (as planned by Newry & Mourne Health & Social Services Trust) with the same specialist acute services, inpatient beds and diagnostics as Altnagelvin Hospital and Craigavon Hospital.
It should be noted that while Newry & Mourne Local Government District (LGD) has a similar population size to Derry LGD, Newry & Mourne LGD has ALWAYS had a Higher population size than Craigavon Local Government District.
DAISY HILL, NEWRY IS A GOVERNMENT DESIGNATED MAJOR ACUTE HOSPITAL
In 2003 it was finally acknowledged by the Department of Health, that with the 4th highest population in NI, Newry & Mourne was entitled to have a major functioning acute hospital based on assessed need.
Following Regional Consultation on the DoH’s Developing Better Services, Daisy Hill Acute Hospital Newry City was designated one of 9 Major Acute Hospitals which would form a network of Specialist Acute Hospitals across NI.
This ensured that no matter where anyone lived in NI every person would have equal access within one hour to 24/7 Consultant Led Accident and Emergency Services, and 24/7 Consultant Led Maternity Services in one of nine Acute Hospitals in a Regional “seamless web of care.”
The number of people living within a locality (LGD) is supposed to be the primary factor when commissioning health Services – so why has the highest population in the Southern Trust in Newry & Mourne LGD been abandoned by the Health Authorities who are paid to provide acute services in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry City?
The Southern Health and Social Care Trust (who replaced Newry & Mourne Health and Social Services Trust in 2007) never had any intention of re-developing Daisy Hill Hospital into the major acute hospital the population of Newry & Mourne were entitled to. They were only interested in redeveloping Craigavon hospital.
Consequently now in 2023 after repeated excuses and public statements the Southern Trust have managed to destroy the reputation of the brilliant hospital they inherited from N&MHSST. The Southern Trust’s centralisation agenda and the organisation’s own inability/or refusal to recruit and retain staff has taken its toll on staff in the hospital resulting in the major public health crisis the population of Newry & Mourne now finds itself in.
The men, women and children of the Newry & Mourne population should not have the fear and worry which comes from the consistent drastic reduction of specialist services and inpatient beds from the major specialist acute hospital Daisy Hill, Newry City.
The main graphic shows the Southern Trust area and its 2 Acute hospitals. Newry & Mourne has the largest land mass (898.3 square Km) of all the 5 localities in the Southern Trust area.
Since the Southern Trust took over admin of Daisy Hill Acute Hospital on 1st April 2007, Newry & Mourne has ALWAYS has the highest population, highest number of births and highest number of children u18 of all the 5 LGDs in the Southern Trust.
BACKGROUND – The organisation of Health Care in NI
The former 26 Councils or Local Government Districts (LGDS) or localities are still named in legislation and remain as the Operational area of NI Health Trusts (Establishment Order 2006) and Commissioning Groups. In the Southern Trust area, there are still FIVE LGDs named as shown below and in graphic.
The Five LGDs in Southern Trust in consistent order of size since Establishment of the Southern Trust on 1st April 2007 according to NISRA are:
>1st Newry & Mourne;
>2nd Craigavon;
>3rd Armagh:
>4th Dungannon:
>5th Banbridge
Total LGD population order of size: (NISRA 2020):
>1st Newry & Mourne: 106,813
>2nd Craigavon: 103,341
>3rd Armagh: 63,874
>4th Dungannon: 63,552
>5th Banbridge: 50,567
Total LGD population Under 18’s: in order of population size, (NISRA 2020):
>1st Newry & Mourne: 28,116
>2nd Craigavon: 25,804
>3rd Armagh: 16,334
>4th Dungannon: 16,938
>5th Banbridge: 12,274
Official Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) Statistics.
The concentratedsupport of Newry Mourne and Down Council, to call for action and proper treatment of Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, the Area Hospital for Newry & Mourne and South Armagh is needed -for more info: https://wordpress.com/post/savedaisyhillhospital.com/3146
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.
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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 