McNulty urges public to ‘hold their nerve’ over Daisy Hill

Mr. McNulty was speaking after it was announced that the withdrawal of Emergency General Surgery from Daisy Hill Hospital has been made permanent.  The announcement was made at a Board Meeting of the Southern Health & Social Care Trust.  

SDLP Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said: “The decision by the Trust to rubberstamp the permanent withdrawal of Emergency General Surgery from Daisy Hill is a real kick in the teeth to those of us who have campaigned to retain those services at our hospital.  

“At the Trust’s Board Meeting last Thursday, it was confirmed that there were over 11,000 objections to the Trust’s proposal – in fact, more than 94% of people who responded to the Trust’s public consultation rejected their proposals.  It is extremely frustrating that the Trust has decided to ignore the views of the people and force their agenda through regardless.  

“To say that it has been a challenging year for Daisy Hill Hospital would be a dramatic understatement, and I completely understand the deep sense of frustration and anger amongst ordinary people and families across Newry, South Armagh and South Down. I share that frustration myself.  

“This summer, we were all stunned when the Trust announced the near collapse of Daisy Hill, mere months after declaring that “all is well” at a public meeting in the Canal Court.  The public response to those developments was astonishing. The pressure that was applied by our local community was instrumental in forcing the Trust to backtrack, stabilise, and reinforce services at the Hospital.  

“Direct public pressure is the only weapon that we have in our arsenal, and it is vital that we keep that pressure up.   We have significant battles in front of us to safeguard the future of the hospital, and the only way we can win those battles is by facing them as a strong and united community.  

“My message is simple: hold the nerve, hold onto hope, and stay in the fight. The future of Daisy Hill depends on it.”