>NEW SHORTER ANSWERS NOW AVAILABLE HERE to help you respond to this very important consultation. There are 3 new different versions available.
LINKS (just click on the Download buttons) :
Plus : the Previous versions V1 and V2 – (more Response Sheets/ Answer Suggestions)
These 5 versions can all be downloaded and used, if you want to use any of the info to assist you, or the answers just as they are for your own response to the Department’s call out for comments to this consultation pls see How to reply below. Consultation Deadline is this coming Monday 14th August 2023: 23.59pm.
WHY IS THIS CONSULTATION IMPORTANT?
The purpose of the Department of Health (DoH) is to improve the physical and mental health of people in NI; prevent, diagnose and treat illness; and improve the social wellbeing of the people of NI. But the distribution of the £7.3 billion Budget allocated to the DoH in 2023-24 will not secure any improvement in diagnosis and treatment of illness and social wellbeing for the catchment population of Daisy Hill Specialist Acute hospital, Newry City.
Even though Newry & District has the second highest number of patients on all of the 17 GP Registers in NI (with c.161,000 men, women and children), and has the third largest land mass (mostly rural) for the Ambulance Trust to cover, Daisy Hill Specialist Acute hospital, Newry City, with 57,000 attendances to Accident and Emergency has yet again been left out of this £7.3 billion Public money budget (except for a proposal to give basic electrics for the hospital).
We have to bring to the attention of the DoH that the Southern Trust once again removed timely life saving core services like Stroke and Emergency Surgery from Daisy Hill. Over 10,000 men women and children took part in the recent SOS Daisy Hill Hospital Committee Public Rally to object to removal of these vital core services.
To date the Southern Trust has only submitted business plans for permanent diagnostic equipment plus previous Business Plans for a £400+ million new Hospital for Craigavon. They refuse to submit business plans to the Department for the NEW Hospital promised in 2005 by Peter Hain, in Newry, as their intention is to centralise all specialist acute services to Craigavon hospital.
DOH STATE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO CEASE CRITICAL SERVICES
DOH Budget EQIA pg13/14 states Re Staff Pay Offer: “As highlighted above, the financial position does not therefore allow the Department to make a pay offer without implementing measures that would have an immediate detrimental impact on services to citizens. Our present analysis suggests that, to do so, WOULD REQUIRE DECISIONS TO CEASE CRITICAL SERVICES WHICH ARE BEYOND THE POWER THE DEPARTMENT TO MAKE.”
As it is beyond the power of the DOH (as stated above) to make a decision to ‘cease critical services’ to citizens it was also beyond the power of the Southern Trust to cease providing critical timely access to vital core life saving Regional services like Emergency Surgery and Stroke in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital. This removal of critical core Emergency services has already had an adverse detrimental impact on c161,000 patients on GP Registers in Newry & District in the catchment area of Daisy Hill, Newry and their ability to access TIMELY specialist acute inpatient hospital services.
The Southern Trust Establishment Order states very clearly they have to provide (not centralise to Craigavon) “accommodation and Services” in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry. This budget is proposing extra beds for Craigavon hospital but no extra beds to accommodate the larger catchment population of Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry & District who have no nearby alternative Acute Hospital.
>The only option left to us now is to answer the 3 Questions in this 2023 Doh Budget Allocation Consultation (pdf pgs 38,39) and challenge why Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry City was left out by the DoH of Major Budget proposals and denied its fair share of NI’s allocation of £7.3 billion.
Major investment has unquestionably been allocated to other Acute hospitals across NI eg Ulster, Antrim, Altnagelvin, Royal, when other acute hospitals are ignored. This is not equal treatment or improving the health and social wellbeing of the people from the catchment area of Daisy Hill, Newry.
YOUR RESPONSES WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE because the DOH also says that Consultation responses will also be considered in targeting any additional funding that may become available during the financial year.
HOW TO REPLY
Instructions for those not used to replying to consultations through email
Save file to your device (rename the filename if you can) eg ‘Comments to DOH Budget EQIA Add intitals‘
Login to your Email, then Select Write New Email/Pen icon
Attach the renamed file to your email using the (paperclip icon/Insert/Attach option)
Type the recipients email address into the To field: Budget23-24response@health-ni.gov.uk
Subject field : Response to DOH Budget 2023-24 Equality Impact Assessment / EQIA Consultation
Write a short message and Hit Send
Send your responses to Budget23-24response@health-ni.gov.uk by this coming Monday 14th August 2023: 23.59pm.
Reply notes:
Replying to this DOH Budget 2023-24 Consultation and Liking and Sharing these posts can help support all Daisy Hill Hospital campaigns. Thank you.
References and Links
CONSULTATION LINKS
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/consultations/health/doh-budget-eqia-cons.pdf Direct link to DOH Budget 2023-24 Consultation Qs ( see Questions pdf pgs 38,39)
The aim of this strategic proposal is to try and protect services delivered directly to citizens as much as possible and through this minimise the impact on service delivery, patients and clients thereby protecting, as far as possible, services delivered to all section 75 groups.
Reading Notes/page numbers : Department of Health Budget 2023-24 Equality Impact Assessment Consultation Document typed Page number 8 is found at PDF page no.10 and page 18 numbered on the Consultation doc is found at PDF page no.20 when viewing on through a PDF reader.
Link to the Department of Health NI Consultation: Equality Impact Assessment of the 2023-24 Budget
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/consultations/equality-impact-assessment-2023-24-budget-outcome General link to DOH BUDGET Consultation
Other links
https://www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Consultation%20Responses/2023/DoH-Budget2023-24EQIA-ECNIresponse.pdf VG Link to Consultation response from the Equality Commission.
https://www.niccy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NICCY-Advice-on-EQIA-on-Draft-DoH-Budget-2023-24.pdf
VG Link to Budget Consultation Response from Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY): Advice on the Department of Health Draft Budget EQIA 2023-24 (p3)
(Southern Trust Delivery Plan 2018/19 on the new Newry Community Treatment Centre. p97)*
++++++++++++++++++++++
POPULATION INFO LINK
*For important info on Misrepresented LGD population sizes at :
https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/2023/07/01/playing-with-numbers-playing-with-peoples-lives/
The Equality Commission for NI
Links to Equal Commission & Children’s Commissioner Response
Response by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to the consultation by the Department of Health on its Budget 2023- 2024 Equality Impact Assessment
https://www.equalityni.org/budget
The Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY
The Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) Advice on the Department of Health Draft Budget EQIA 2023-24 (30 June 2023)
Registrar General NI Link (which confirms although the 11 council model is in place since 2014, Health Trusts remain under the 26 council model). See below
https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/Maps-of-NI-Health-Trusts-and-Local-Government-Districts.pdf (see p 1& p2)
Link to Registrar General Northern Ireland Annual Report 2015 (Publication date: 31 August 2016)
Appendix 6 Northern Ireland’s Health & Social Care Trusts and Local Government Districts
Appendix 7 Northern Ireland’s 11 Local Government Districts 2015
>CONSULTATION DEADLINE: This important DOH EQIA Budget Consultation is open until this coming Monday 14th August 2023: 23.59pm.
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