Southern Health and Social Care Trust board members have voted in favour of a proposal to move inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry to Craigavon hospital from 23 November, after the trust said it could not recruit enough consultant obstetricians to safely staff both hospitals. The plan faces significant opposition in Newry and further afield, including South Down and South Armagh, and a 40-year-old pregnant woman is to lodge judicial review papers at the High Court on Tuesday afternoon to try to force the trust to delay implementation.
The trust said it does not want to be in this position but has exhausted all recruitment attempts. It needs eight substantive consultants; from the end of this month it will have two, plus three locum consultants. Chief executive Steve Spoerry described the temporary suspension as a "sad day" and apologised to the community, but said there was no other alternative. The trust, he said, "cannot continue to safely provide inpatient maternity care at both hospitals." He said it would continue working to build a "real viable future" for Daisy Hill as a general hospital, with antenatal and postnatal services continuing.
Opposition to the consolidation plan has come from people in Newry and further afield, including South Down and South Armagh, and the move is now subject to a legal challenge. A 40-year-old pregnant woman is to lodge judicial review papers at the High Court on Tuesday afternoon to attempt to force the trust to delay implementation. While the move has been described as temporary, there is currently no time-frame on the restoration of services at Daisy Hill.
Questions have also been asked about Craigavon's ability to cope with the additional 1,700 births expected there as a result of the change. The trust said Craigavon is ready to deal with the increase in demand.
The trust said every woman will have a designated midwife when she registers for birth, and the ambulance service will be able to triage women to Craigavon Hospital or elsewhere as appropriate. Dr Beverly Adams, divisional medical director for maternity and women's services, said a centralised telephone triage service with a midwife would help determine the most appropriate place for each woman to give birth. "If they're of a higher risk or there's a concern about being in labour then advising them to attend Craigavon instead is the right thing to do," she said. She acknowledged that women in more rural areas, particularly South Down and South Armagh, had already been advised in some cases to give birth at Craigavon or the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- From 23 November, women in labour in the Newry area will be directed to Craigavon or elsewhere, a longer journey for those in the rural South Down and South Armagh areas.
- The judicial review could delay or alter the plan, and no time-frame has been set for when services at Daisy Hill might return.
- The trust says it cannot safely staff both hospitals: from the end of this month it will have only two substantive consultants and three locums, against a need for eight.
Background
Daisy Hill Hospital is the Southern Health and Social Care Trust's general hospital in Newry, serving the surrounding area including South Down and South Armagh. The trust, which also runs Craigavon Area Hospital, proposed suspending inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill in September, and the plan has faced opposition since. The trust says it has been unable to recruit enough consultant obstetricians to safely staff both hospitals.
Key Perspectives
Southern Health and Social Care Trust: says it has exhausted all recruitment attempts and cannot continue to safely provide inpatient maternity care at both hospitals, leaving temporary suspension as the only alternative.
Opponents in Newry, South Down and South Armagh: oppose the consolidation plan, and a 40-year-old pregnant woman is pursuing a judicial review to force the trust to delay its implementation.
What to Watch
- Whether the High Court grants a delay in response to the judicial review lodged on Tuesday.
- Whether the trust can recruit more consultant obstetricians; the service is due to rely on two substantive consultants and three locums from the end of this month.
- How Craigavon Area Hospital handles the additional 1,700 births expected as a result of the change.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedInpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital will be temporarily suspended from 23 November.BBC Northern Ireland: “Inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill hospital in Newry will be temporarily suspended from 23 November.”
- SupportedThe Trust cites difficulty recruiting enough consultant obstetricians to safely staff both hospitals.BBC Northern Ireland: “the trust says it has been unable to recruit enough consultant obstetricians to safely staff both hospitals.”
- SupportedA 40-year-old pregnant woman is to lodge judicial review papers at the High Court on Tuesday afternoon to try to delay the plan.BBC Northern Ireland: “A 40-year-old pregnant woman is to lodge judicial review papers at the High Court on Tuesday afternoon to attempt to force the trust to delay the implementation of the plan.”
- SupportedTrust board members voted in favour of moving inpatient maternity services from Daisy Hill to Craigavon.BBC Northern Ireland: “Southern Health Trust board members have voted in favour a proposal to move the services to Craigavon hospital”
- SupportedThe plan faces significant opposition in Newry and further afield, including South Down and South Armagh.BBC Northern Ireland: “There has been significant opposition to the consolidation plan from people in Newry and further afield, including South Down and South Armagh”
- SupportedThe Trust needs eight substantive consultants and, from the end of the month, will have two plus three locum consultants.BBC Northern Ireland: “It needs eight substantive consultants - from the end of this month it will have two, plus three locum consultants.”
- SupportedThere is currently no time-frame for restoring services at Daisy Hill.BBC Northern Ireland: “While the move has been described as temporary, there is currently no time-frame on the restoration of services at Daisy Hill.”
- SupportedThe change is expected to result in an additional 1,700 births at Craigavon.BBC Northern Ireland: “Questions have also been asked about Craigavon's ability to cope with the additional 1,700 births expected there, as a result of the change.”
- SupportedSteve Spoerry described the temporary suspension as a “sad day”.BBC Northern Ireland: “Steve Spoerry, Chief Executive of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, has described the temporary suspension of services as a "sad day".”
- SupportedSpoerry said the Trust “cannot continue to safely provide inpatient maternity care at both hospitals.”BBC Northern Ireland: “He said the Trust "cannot continue to safely provide inpatient maternity care at both hospitals".”
- SupportedSpoerry said the Trust would continue working to build a “real viable future” for Daisy Hill as a general hospital, and continue antenatal and postnatal services.BBC Northern Ireland: “"We will continue our work to build a real viable future for Daisy Hill as a general hospital serving its population," Spoerry said. "We will continue with the antenatal and postnatal services”
- SupportedDr Beverly Adams said: “If they're of a higher risk or there's a concern about being in labour then advising them to attend Craigavon instead is the right thing to do.”BBC Northern Ireland: “"If they're of a higher risk or there's a concern about being in labour then advising them to attend Craigavon instead is the right thing to do," she said.”
