Daisy Hill hospital in Newry to temporarily halt inpatient maternity care from 23 November
Published
The Southern Health Trust board has backed temporarily moving inpatient maternity services from Daisy Hill to Craigavon hospital, citing a consultant shortage, as the plan faces a legal challenge.
Daisy Hill hospital in Newry is to stop inpatient maternity care on a temporary basis from 23 November, after the Southern Health Trust board voted to shift it to Craigavon hospital, BBC News reports.
The trust says it cannot recruit enough obstetric consultants: it needs eight substantive consultants but will have two, plus three locums, from the end of the month.
The plan has drawn strong opposition in Newry and beyond, including South Down and South Armagh, and a 40-year-old pregnant woman was due to seek a judicial review at the High Court on Tuesday to delay it.
Trust chief executive Steve Spoerry apologised and said there was no alternative, adding that antenatal and postnatal care will continue at Daisy Hill; no time-frame has been given for restoring the service.
Why it matters
Craigavon is expected to take an additional 1,700 births, and questions have been raised over whether it can cope.
Claims & sources
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According to BBC News, Daisy Hill hospital in Newry will stop providing inpatient maternity care on a temporary basis from 23 November.
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Board members of the Southern Health Trust backed a proposal to shift the services to Craigavon hospital, with the trust saying it cannot hire enough consultant obstetricians to staff both sites safely.
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From the end of the month the trust will have two substantive consultants plus three locums, against a requirement for eight substantive consultants.
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The consolidation plan has drawn strong opposition in Newry and the wider area, including South Down and South Armagh, and faces a legal challenge.
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A pregnant 40-year-old woman was due to lodge papers at the High Court on Tuesday afternoon, seeking a judicial review to make the trust delay the plan.
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Steve Spoerry, the Southern Trust's chief executive, said there was no alternative.
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Steve Spoerry, who heads the Southern Trust, apologised to the community but maintained there was no alternative.
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The move is described as temporary, yet there is currently no time-frame for bringing the services back to Daisy Hill.
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Spoerry said Daisy Hill will keep providing antenatal and postnatal services.
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Doubts have been raised over whether Craigavon can cope with the 1,700 additional births it is expected to receive because of the change.
Original sources
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