DOH Draft Equality & Disability Action Plans Consultation 2025 – 2030.
INEQUALITY – STILL HERE in JUNE 2025.
Write For Your Equality Rights (DoH Draft Equality/Disability Public Consultation 2025)
This time two years ago, on 25th June 2023 people came out in their thousands to show their support for Daisy Hill Hospital at the SOS Daisy Hill Hospital Committee Public Rally in Newry. People here care and will show up for Daisy Hill, the designated Acute Hospital in Newry city.
Now its June 2025, so have there been announcements of more investment for specialist acute services for Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, for its large and growing population? After all, Official population figures right back to 1971 show that Newry & Mourne (former) local government district (LGD) has always ranked in the TOP 4 populations in NI.
No, instead of return of specialist services (like Emergency Surgery and acute stroke) and more capital investment for Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, (Apart from proposing some essential Electrical Maintenance), the following is recorded in the DOH 2023-4 Annual Report :
‘Progress and key achievements in 2023/24: The initial phases of REMODELLING THE ACUTE MODEL at Daisy Hill Hospital by REDUCING BED CAPACITY and INCREASING COMMUNITY based medical management. Further development is ongoing in 2024-25 and it is expected that OTHER LOCAL HOSPITALS CAN LEARN from this model in the future.’ (Department of Health Annual Report 2023-4, Page 10)
COMPARING THE TWO SOUTHERN TRUST ACUTE HOSPITALS – DAISY HILL, NEWRY AND CRAIGAVON (From 2023- on)
While the longest established Hospital in the Southern Trust, Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry gets ‘remodelled’ /’reconfigured’, ‘re-designated’ by re-moving /withdrawing and centralising its specialist services to Craigavon and vital equipment for the LONG TERM future is stalled again e.g. CT/ MRI Scanners. There is a different story in the other Acute Hospital in the Southern Trust, (newly built in 1971). Craigavon Hospital is treated much more favourably in the Department of Health Budget 2023-24 with the opposite proposal of EXTRA BEDS:
‘There are a number of critical capital schemes that the Department would like to commence in 2023/24 which include…THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL BED CAPACITY at CRAIGAVON Area Hospital’ (Department of Health Budget 2023-24 Equality Impact Assessment, page 10.)
CRAIGAVON CAPITAL PROPOSAL FOR £2.4 BILLION: REVENUE £38.5 MILLION. FUNDING STREAM IS NAMED AS DOH.
Craigavon Hospital continues to get major investment, beds, equipment and staff and still wants MORE
E.g. Southern Trust Board Report Jan 2025 lists the ‘new Capital Proposal for Craigavon Area Hospital Site Wide Redevelopment Programme with a Capital/Revenue Value £2.4 BILLION/ Revenue £38.5million.’ The Funding Stream is named as DOH. (Department of Health)
NEWRY & MOURNE HAS A HIGHER POPULATION THAN CRAIGAVON
Official population figures right back to 1971 show that Newry & Mourne local government district (LGD) has always ranked in the top 4 populations in NI and since 2007 has always had the HIGHEST population of the 5 LGD areas in the Southern Trust area. (See References for Figures)
So, given the consistently large recorded population size – where is the access to timely Regional Emergency Services and Specialist inpatient services at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, for the people of Newry, Mourne & Down?
Lack of inpatient hospital access (to the only hospital in this area – Daisy Hill) is a major health inequality affecting the adults and children who live in Newry & Mourne. And how can people bring this inequality to light in 2025?
The Department of Health has developed New Draft Equality and Draft Disability Action Plans for 2025 to 2030. They write: “This consultation gives you an opportunity to tell us what you think should be included in our Equality Action Plan and Disability Action Plans for the next 5 years.”This Regional Consultation is our chance to put in writing the need for Equality in Newry Mourne and Down.
>WHY ANSWER THIS NEW CONSULTATION?
The DOH has given an opportunity to write to them directly about inequalities so this is a real chance to write about major health inequalities in the Southern Trust. This inequality affects all Section 75 groups in the population regarding lack of access to acute hospital inpatient treatment at Daisy Hill Acute Hospital in Newry, because vital TIMELY life saving Regional Accident and Emergency Medical inpatient services (like Stroke, timely Emergency Surgical inpatient Services, and vital timely Critical Care Services High Dependency beds) were withdrawn from Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry without the Department going to the necessary Public Regional Consultations.
Emergency Surgery was removed permanently in Jan 2024 when there was no NI Executive in place. It was also announced Daisy Hill Hospital change of use to a Regional Elective care centre, and removal of beds without Public Regional Consultation. These are huge inequalities as it was the only acute Hospital in NI treated this way and will have a negative effect on health outcomes of the very large numbers of children and adults living here.
Newry & Mourne is a major settlement, the 4th highest population in NI and has always had the highest (former) local government district population in the Southern Trust operational area, but it is being wrongly categorised as an ‘isolated community’ in the DoH Hospital Network Consultation. Newry & Mourne is not an isolated community; the populations’ needs are not being assessed correctly.
To help people write in to the Department about inequality in this Public Consultation – Some suggested Answers will be available on this page.
Please Help and Please Share. Thank you.
REFERENCES AND LINKS
The Southern Trust Operational Area is still the former five Local Government Districts of Newry & Mourne, Armagh, Craigavon, Dungannon and Banbridge. Projected population for 2026 in Southern Trust/ SLCG: Newry & Mourne (111,508); Craigavon (109,655); Armagh (66,848); Dungannon (67,870) and Banbridge (53,202) NISRA June 2025.
Department of Health Budget (DoH) 2023-24 Equality Impact Assessment, Page 10
Department of Health Annual Report 2023-4, Page 10)
*Definition –‘Centralise’ “concentrate under one control” (Collins English Dictionary)
Ways to respond are detailed below.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CONSULTATION LINKS
The link above is the main Consultation link from the Department of Health website . It gives all documents including main report, Rural Impact and Equality Impact Assessments, Consultation Questionnaire Word document all available to download and read.
Public Consultations should be freely accessible to all – if you are unable to save or open any of the Department of Health Consultation documents in the formats provided – please contact the Department of Health using the information provided below, to let them know and see if they can offer alternative formats.
WAYS TO RESPOND TO THE CONSULTATION
There are 3 WAYS TO RESPOND to Department of Health Draft Equality & Disability Action Plans Consultation 2025 – 2030
1>By Email > Send your completed Questionnaire by email to the Department by attaching the Consultation Questionnaire to the email address: equality&humanrights@health-ni.gov.uk
2>By Online Questionnaire
Click on the Online Questionnaire link below and scroll down to and click ‘have your say’
https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/doh-1/draft-equality-action-plan-and-di/
3>By Post > A hard copy of your response Questionnaire can also be sent in Writing to:
Write to:
Equality and Human Rights Unit,
Castle Buildings,
Stormont,
Belfast,
Northern Ireland,
BT4 3SQ
By the Closing Date of Saturday 28th June 2025 by 5pm.
For Enquiries on the Department of Health Draft Equality & Disability Action Plans Consultation 2025 – 2030 the contact email is: equality&humanrights@health-ni.gov.uk
Department of Health General Telephone number is : Telephone: 028 9052 0500
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
WHY DAISY HILL HOSPITAL IN NEWRY IS ENTITLED TO BE AN AREA HOSPITAL:
>Reason 1 – Population fact 1: Out of 17 GP Federations in NI, Newry & District GP Federation has the 2nd highest number of patients (161,308) registered after only Derry GP Federation since 2017 (Source: DOH 2023/24).
Newry & District includes 36,018 children and young people aged U18, the 2nd highest of the 17 GP Federations after only Derry (Source: DOH 2023/24).
Reason 2 – Population fact 2: Newry & Mourne Local Government District (One of 26 Former Councils) RANKED IN THE TOP FOUR HIGHEST POPULATION CENTRES In NI after only Belfast, Derry and Lisburn. (From 1971 to 2014)
Reason 3> Population fact 3: Newry & Mourne LGD has ALWAYS HAD THE HIGHEST POPULATION of the 5 LGDS in the operational area of Southern Trust. (Source NISRA). The 5 LGDS are Newry & Mourne, Craigavon, Armagh, Dungannon and Banbridge.
Reason 4 – Landmass fact : Newry & Mourne local government district area alone has the 3RD LARGEST LANDMASS in NI (898.3 Sq Km: Source NISRA).
Further reading:
GP Registers show vital need for Daisy Hill, Newry as an Area Hospital with 24-7 Level 1 ED > https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/2025/01/28/gp-registers-show-vital-need-for-daisy-hill-newry-as-an-area-hospital-with-24-7-level-1-ed/
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