MONEY! MONEY! PUBLIC MONEY! 

Nearly 945 Million Pounds for the whole of the Southern Trust in 2021-2. Nearly 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?

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?

Redress the unbalanced NI Stroke Consultation 2019 - additional Options needed to include the Excluded populations.

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.

Newry & Mourne, South Armagh Acute Area Hospital at Daisy Hill, in Newry city
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 prioritized in 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.”

Southern Trust Annual Report & Accounts 2021-22 p43

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.

Time for Investment in Newry and Mourne LGD's acute Hospital Daisy Hill

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:

BACKGROUND AND REFERENCE

 (* Source: Southern Trust SHSCT Annual Report & Accounts 2021-22 for the year ended 31 March 2022 (pg 115, 43, 9)
Link below: https://southerntrust.hscni.net/about-us/annual-reports/


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You may also be interested in other posts on Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry city, like: https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/2022/02/28/daisy-hill-hospital-newry-is-one-of-the-nine-major-acute-hospitals-in-the-regional-network-designated-in-2003-like-antrim-ulster-etc/

Newry & Mourne Local Government District (LGD) has consistently been ranked within the Top 4 LGDs by population size consistently since 1971.

Newry & Mourne Local Government District (LGD) has consistently ranked in the Top 4 populations by population size of LGDS in all N. Ireland consistently since 1971 – So where’s the Funding for Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry?

Now is finally the time for proper investment for Daisy Hill, as Newry & Mourne LGD has a population bigger than Antrim LGD, Castlereagh LGD, and also Craigavon LGD, who all have MAJOR ACUTE HOSPITALS ALREADY.

Time for Investment for Newry and Mourne LGD and Daisy Hill Hospital , Newry.

Now is finally the time for proper investment for Daisy Hill, as Newry & Mourne LGD has a population bigger than Antrim LGD, Castlereagh LGD, and also Craigavon LGD, who all have MAJOR ACUTE HOSPITALS ALREADY.

10 Acute hospitals and Table of 15 largest populations in NI (2019), hospital map Northern Ireland

The picture shows the Present configuration of 10 Acute hospitals (red dots) now left in NI in 2019, alongside a Table of the 15 largest population settlements here (Source 2018 NISRA*).

There has been a Hospital on the Daisy Hill Hospital site in Newry since the 19th century, for its growing Population.  In 2003 it was officially designated as one of ten out of 19 existing Acute hospitals, under ‘Developing Better Services’ needed for the acute care needs of the people of NI.

New investment in acute specialist hospital services, hospital beds and specialist medical staff is due in the Newry & Mourne area, in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, including in the Emergency Department.

But despite Newry & Mourne consistently having the largest LGD population in the operational area of the Southern Trust**, its funding for Acute services and Capital for Redevelopment as a MAJOR ACUTE HOSPITAL has never been equal to the other acute hospital in the Southern Trust, Craigavon.

The 19 acute hospitals in NI in 1995 were reduced to a total of ten after various Dept. of Health Reforms.  The LGD populations* or Settlements shown in the Graphic (source NISRA*) would suggest that Population size and need does not seem to drive current funding decisions.  Health investment in NI continues to focus on 4-6 Hospitals, instead of the ten designated acute hospitals on the map.

Only 6 URBAN hospitals (Royal, Belfast City, Craigavon, Antrim, Altnagelvin and the Ulster) continue to be allocated major funding.

These 6 hospitals, (from the previous 19) were given major investment as specialist acute hospitals, because of hospital size, NOT based on where the largest  LGD/settlements of population lived, [Regional Strategy for 1997 to 2002. – Detail available in previous article, link at the end of piece.]

>DAISY HILL ACUTE HOSPITAL, IN NEWRY & MOURNE LGD IS STILL BEING OVERLOOKED DESPITE BEING THE LARGEST LOCALITY OF ALL 5 LGDs IN SOUTHERN TRUST AREA & FOURTH LARGEST LGD IN N.IRELAND.

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 acute Hospital, in Newry & Mourne LGD is still being overlooked for investment and specialist service provision, without explanation.  

Official NISRA demographic statistics prove that the population need exists in the area of Newry & Mourne (which includes South Armagh). This LGD has consistently been the FOURTH largest population in NI, as well as the highest locality population of all 5 localities/LGDs in the operational area** of the Southern Health Trust since its inception in 2007.

TIME NOW FOR PROPER INVESTMENT FOR NEWRY & MOURNE LOCALITY ACUTE HOSPITAL, DAISY HILL, INCLUDING INVESTMENT IN STROKE SERVICES, SCANNING EQUIPMENT AND HOSPITAL CAPITAL PRIORITIES

If Health Chiefs and those in charge of funding were to fully realise the actual size of the Newry & Mourne population, from valid NISRA statistics, then changes could be made to rectify the situation and put a stop to the wrong categorisation of Daisy Hill as a ‘smaller’ Hospital, when it should be a large Specialist Acute Hospital to truly reflect the population size and need in the area.

For example Even though the Executive Summary of the Bengoa Report*** P19 stated clearly to the NI Executive “IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE for this report to dictate to people in different parts of Northern Ireland what services they should and should not expect to be located in their area or local hospital” THEY DID EXACTLY THAT in THE FULL BENGOA EXPERT PANEL REPORT (P.73)

In this report all of Northern Ireland was inappropriately dictated to and told as a Local Case Study that Craigavon Area Hospital would be the site for a centralised Specialist Stroke Unit above all other locations in NI. Newry & Mourne’s population were also publicly inappropriately dictated to, that they would only get stroke rehabilitation in a community setting instead of retention of the existing Specialist Acute/Rehabilitation Stroke Unit in Daisy Hill acute Hospital.

Official statistics, as presented by NISRA must determine where Specialist acute Hospitals are located in NI.

NOW IS THE TIME FOR CHANGE & PROPER INVESTMENT

The Newry & Mourne population was left out of plans for future investment for a NEW hospital, left out of the NI 2019 Reshaping Stroke Services Options and IGNORED when it came to funding and long term future investment for CT, MRI and non obstetric scanners but NOW IS THE TIME FOR CHANGE.  

Time for Investment in Newry and Mourne LGD's acute Hospital Daisy Hill

>NOW is the time for proper investment (with Rebates) for Newry & Mourne and Daisy Hill Hospital as a Specialist Acute Hospital NOW,  just as had been intended under Government Backed Report in 2003 and Strategic Investment Report in 2005 which had Secretary of State backing.     

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY

Please Share widely – with your help this info could reach the right people with the power to make the necessary changes, such as the new Health Minister Mr Robin Swann MLA and new Finance Minister Mr Conor Murphy MLA.  Please keep supporting Daisy Hill Hospital for Life!

<       BACKGROUND INFORMATION                  >

Reference * NISRA is the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency ; https://www.nisra.gov.uk/

IMPORTANT INFO ON LGDs AND COUNCILS

Despite the fact that there are now 11 Councils in Northern Ireland in 2020, the (former) 26 council model is still relevant today for the purpose of Health Funding. 

NISRA continues to also provide populations by HSC Trusts aggregated from the former 26 local government districts. These 26 former LGDs remain named in legislation as the ‘operational areas’ of the Health and Social Care Trusts in NI according to the Establishment Orders 2006.

Reference ** The 5 LGDs named  in the’ OPERATIONAL AREA’ of the Southern Health and Social Services Trust (SHSCT) –  in order of population size since the start of the Southern Trust in 2007 were in 2018 : Newry & Mourne (105,693); Craigavon ( 101,489); Armagh (62,976); Dungannon (62,666), and Banbridge(50,717) NISRA 2018 * Note: Newry & Mourne is ONE single LGD.

<Important>:

There are 5 LGDs/localities in SHSCTNOT 3 Localities or Local Government Districts.

They are as follows:

(1) Newry & Mourne: ONE LGD,

(2) Craigavon: one LGD

(3) Banbridge: one LGD ,

(4) Armagh one LGD,

and  (5) Dungannon :one LGD. 

THERE IS NO SUCH LGD/LOCALITY AS ‘ARMAGH/DUNGANNON’ or ‘CRAIGAVON/BANBRIDGE.’

Southern Trust/ SLCG Populations

1995 Southern Trust /Southern Local Commissioning Group SLCG Populations: Newry & Mourne (84,035); Craigavon (77,689); Armagh (52,675); Dungannon (46,958) and Banbridge(37,427) NISRA 1995.

2010 Southern Trust/ SLCG Populations:  Newry & Mourne (99,900); Craigavon (93,600); Armagh (59,400); Dungannon (57,700) and Banbridge  (48,000). NISRA MYE 2010  

2018 Southern Trust/ SLCG Populations: Newry & Mourne (105,693); Craigavon (101,489); Armagh (62,976); Dungannon (62,666) and Banbridge  (50,717) . NISRA 2018

Reference *** Bengoa Expert Panel Report ‘Systems not Structures’, 2016, https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/systems-not-structures-changing-health-and-social-care-full-report

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