Can you please help ensure that Daisy Hill Acute Hospital is included in the Department of Health’s Investment Plan for vital diagnostic equipment like MRI and CT scanners by sending in an EMAIL to the latest consultation, due in Mon 22 Jan by 5pm?

To save time, you can just send an email, with this suggested answer.

Please email your response to: Email: ImagingReviewConsultation@health-ni.gov.uk along with your NAME and ADDRESS:

Suggested answer below to copy and paste, (of course – you can alter as you wish, or write your own.) Please add your name and address, underneath Yours Sincerely at the end of your letter. Thank you!

SUGGESTED ANSWER

‘Dear Imaging Review Consultation Secondary Care Directorate

Thank you for the opportunity to give my views on a Strategic Framework for Imaging Services in Health and Social Care.

Investment in all vital Imaging Services and Equipment must be provided for in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry City.

I propose that Capital Funding for CT scanners, MRI scanners, non obstetric scanners and other vital imaging equipment must be allocated to Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry to ensure that the objectives of ‘increasing capacity to meet future demand and to further improve quality and safety’ are met.

Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry City is in the largest locality in the Southern Trust in Newry & Mourne, and also provides for the wider catchment population which also includes South Armagh and Banbridge. The allocation of funding for imaging equipment investment and replacement planned for the Southern Trust area must include Daisy Hill Acute Hospital.

As the consultation document states – “Timely and accurate imaging plays a vital role in ensuring patients are appropriately diagnosed, treated and monitored.” It is just as vital for Newry City’s Daisy Hill Acute Hospital to give timely access to imaging services for its catchment population –and needs commitment for capital investment now and in the future to achieve this.

The population of Newry & Mourne (29% of which are children) are entitled to safe timely access to medical imaging (scanning) services in Daisy Hill, one of the 10 acute hospitals in NI. This includes access to services such as MRI, CT, non-obstetric ultrasound and X-ray. It also includes, Cardiac Imaging, Paediatric imaging, Ultrasound scanning, and Obstetric scanning in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital.

Newry & Mourne locality – projected to be the 3rd highest population in NI by 2023 (after only Belfast and Lisburn- greater Belfast ) has paid for, needs, and is entitled to equality in provision and forward looking investment and funding for new, up to date major CT and MRI scanning equipment.

Thank you
Yours sincerely

Your Name and address

………………………………………………………

BACKGROUND INFO AND LINKS

(1) Newry & Mourne has always had the highest population of the 5 localities in the Southern Trust since pre 2008.
(2) Newry & Mourne has always had the highest number of births in the Southern Trust.
(3) Newry & Mourne has always had the highest number of children (under 18) in the Southern Trust.

Thank you.

Full Consultation info and Documents available at:
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/…/consultation-draft-strategic…

Equipment Management Doc -See pages 31 -32 for Southern Trust planned Investment including Daisy Hill Hospital) (This doc can be downloaded or you can type in required page number 31 in the top left hand corner while still in the browser):
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/…/Imaging%20Review%20%20Equipm…

The Deadline for responses is Monday 22nd January at 5pm.