​McNulty makes plea for hospital

​Mr. McNulty was speaking after workers at Accident & Emergency contacted him in a state of despair, with overcrowding pushing both patients and staff to breaking point.

Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said: “I visited A&E after staff members asked me to come and witness what they are up against. I have seen crowded corridors before, but I was horrified to see that the coffee dock had been closed and was being used as a makeshift ward with no privacy. Patients are being lined up head to toe on trolleys in the corridors, and many of them have been there for days on end – one nurse joked that they are going to need bunk beds next. Patients and their families are being stripped of their dignity, and staff’s hearts are broken.

“I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that frontline workers are keeping things moving despite the extraordinary pressure on them. I know this because the family of a young girl (20), who had been sitting in a chair in the corridor for 4 nights in a row, have told me that the care and compassion they received from staff was second to none. They commented that they don’t know how the staff keep going, and keep going with such grace and kindness.

“Let’s be crystal clear here – this problem has not been brought about by the hospital staff who are worked off their feet but told they don’t deserve a pay lift. It hasn’t been brought about by patients and families, local people, or hospital campaigners who believe in and support Daisy Hill Hospital. This problem has been brought about by a top to bottom failure of government.”