Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry: Southern Health Trust says it has stabilised doctor staffing crisis with international recruitment

In June last year the Southern Health trust revealed it would have only one full-time medical consultant at the hospital from late July - and potentially no junior doctors by August.

It had been reported that the trust was proposing to more than halve the number of ward beds at the hospital from 107 to 40 as an interim measure - in order to maintain patient safety.

In June last year the trust said: “From late July we will have only one substantive medical consultant working at Daisy Hill Hospital and this could potentially impact on the number of student doctors we are allocated in August," she said.

(Medical consultants tend to treat conditions using drugs rather than surgery).

“Our initial focus aims to immediately stabilise staffing for the summer months in anticipation of a more permanent solution.”

In January it was announced that emergency general surgery would be permanently moved from Daisy Hill Hospital to Craigavon.

Local campaigners had openly expressed concerns for the future of the hospital - in large part due to the inability to retain consultants.

However, in a new statement, the trust has now announced that it has used international doctors to stabilise the situation - though "relentless attention" is needed for the issue.

The trust paid tribute to the work of the Daisy Hill Hospital Expert Panel of independent clinical and involvement advisors, which was appointed last summer, for the progress. It was chaired by Independent Healthcare Advisor, Mairead McAlinden.

In its final report, the Panel said: "The stability of the medical workforce in General Medicine has improved over the last six months, bolstered by doctors from the Trust’s international recruitment initiative. "However this needs relentless attention and ongoing development."

The panel also reported improvements in service delivery in Acute Medicine, Emergency Department and the Ambulatory Unit.

The role of the current High Dependency Unit was reviewed, and The Panel has recommended maintaining this area in its current location

It also said that increasing numbers of patients are being treated the hospital's Regional Elective Overnight Surgical Centre, one of the three such new Centres in Northern Ireland

The Panel encouraged expansion "at pace" of other specialisms at the hospital, in paediatrics and other surgical specialties.

The government is aiming to give hospitals across NI specialist hubs, as consultants and international medicine is increasingly specialist.

Southern Trust Chief Executive, Dr Maria O’Kane said: “The aim of this process has been to find a sustainable way forward for Daisy Hill Hospital, its patients and staff. Ensuring patient safety and supporting our staff have been our priorities.

“We sincerely thank Mairead as Chair and all of the panel members for their expertise, commitment and diligence in finding workable solutions to the challenges that have faced Daisy Hill Hospital.

“Whilst there has been positive progress in stabilising medical staffing and acute inpatient medicine at Daisy Hill, rising demand for services, workforce and finance remain as very serious challenges across the Southern Trust and Health and Social Care regionally."

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