At a well attended monthly meeting of the board of the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, local politicians and health campaigners gathered tp make their complaints heard about recent further cuts to the services at the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick. Availing of speaking rights, a number of speakers presented the case for beds and services at the Downe Hospital to be fully restored.
Ritchie Says Closure of Downe Hospital Beds Is Unacceptable
SDLP MP for South Down, Margaret Ritchie, has described the closure of beds at the Downe Hospital as “unmanageable and unacceptable”. Addressing the South Eastern Health and Social Services Trust on Wednesday 26 November, Ms Ritchie demanded answers as to why the Trust is reducing beds at the Downe Hospital.
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At the monthly meeting of the South Eastern HSC Trust at the Downshire Great Hall were Down Council Chairman Cllr Billy Walker, South Down MP Margaret Ritchie and Eamonn McGrady, Chairman of the Down Community Health Committee.[/caption]
She said: “The people of this community in Down and Mourne fought a long and hard campaign to secure a new hospital in Downpatrick with a range of services, and will not allow the Minister for Health to strip our asset. Such a move is clear discrimination against a rural community, an assault on our services and it will continue to be resisted at the highest political level.
“The reduction of bed numbers at the Downe puts immediate pressure on the medical wards at a time when winter increases admissions at Belfast hospitals who are finding it increasingly difficult to cope, with patients lying on trolleys awaiting treatment for long periods of time. That situation is unacceptable. What is even more unpalatable is that there are 101 beds earmarked for temporary closure in Northern Ireland, and the Downe will have to bear one-tenth of those beds when it is currently working to full capacity.
“Why will the Trust not protect, safeguard and honour the principles of local accessibility to services? Why will the Trust not protect its existing asset at the Downe Hospital? Why does the Downe have to be the victim of over provision of medical and health services in the Belfast Hospitals?
“I have taken some time to look at the potential of services that could be re-located from the Ulster Hospital to bolster the Downe Hospital and ensure an effective, safe delivery of services for the people of the Down and Mourne areas. The Trust has a duty to not only scrutinise the use of that expenditure but also secure the future of previous capital investment at the new Downe Hospital with the retention of existing services and a range of new provision.
Hazzard Says Damage To Public Confidence In Downe Hospital Must Be Repaired
Sinn Féin MLA Chris Hazzard was speaking after the public board meeting of the South Eastern HSC Trust in Downpatrick.
He welcomed the opportunity to address the Board Meeting, but added “more must be done to repair serious damage to public confidence in the ability of the South Eastern Health Trust to future-proof our local hospital” in Downpatrick.
“We have heard emotional appeals yet again from public representatives calling on the Trust to reverse its recent decision to close beds at the Downe – closures that will in reality spell the end for Coronary Care at the Downe.
“The local South Down community have been very clear, it is wholly inequitable that the Downe Hospital should have to face a 20% reduction in beds while the Ulster Hospital escapes yet again. We reject entirely this unrepentant centralisation of services to Belfast.”
Mr Hazzard added: “I do however welcome the Trust’s remarks that we need to work together in building a local health service that meets the increasing needs of the South Down community.
“I am heartened that they have now welcomed my suggestion that we work towards establishing a people’s forum where we can build a partnership between the people of South Down and the decision makers.
“In light of this I would call on the South Eastern HSC Trust to immediately put on hold any plans to close beds at the Downe and lets enter a dialogue on the best way forward.”
Councillor Colin McGrath Attacks Trust Record
Down District Councillor and local SDLP heath spoekesperson Colin McGrath challenged the Trust from the onset in his presentation saying in relation the the recent bedget cuts: “You have had to cut your cloth and you have snipped at the Downe – you have had to tighten the purse strings and you have strangled our local hospital. Because you constantly chip away at the Downe Hospital you don’t deserve our trust or our respect.
“Many times in the past you have cut just at the Downe but on this occasion you have chosen to cut services on a wider scale – at Lagan Valley, Bangor hospital and at the Downe.
“Now lets deal with them in their proper order, I’m sorry about Bangor – but to be honest I didn’t realize it had a hospital until now and am sure it is really only a glorified nursing home – funny I must check that model – cause it sound like what we will end up with here.
“But to the level II hospitals that is Lagan Valley and the Downe.
“The Lagan Valley – in its supremely plum position of being but 8 miles from other major acute hospitals by MOTORWAY still managed to receive a smaller cut than the Downe – why?
* “Why must we continually ask these question why the Downe is dealt more harshly by you, treated worse by your decisions?
* “What fight have you put up Trust Board for these cuts to the Downe Hospital?
* “Why with 20 beds at Bangor, six at the Lagan Valley and nine at the Downe – 35 in total out of 100 in NI –
* “why are you as one fifth of NI hospital coverage instigating over one third of the cuts?
* “Why is this fair to the people of our Trust area?
“And to the reductions at the Downe – the loss of specialist Coronary Care at our hospital (and that is what it is).
“We cannot accept that the six coronary care beds subsumed into the medical wards of the Downe is acceptable.
“Lets be clear – if there are only six beds left in the Downe and they are the coronary care beds and the next seven patients are six medical cases followed by a coronary care patient – we all know the coronary care patient will be moved on because the beds are taken.
“Coronary Care at the Downe will fail due to bed-blocking by medical cases – you know it, I know it, the staff know it – so don’t sell us that pig in a poke and expect us to be grateful to you.
“I’m sure you are understanding now why we don’t respect or trust you or afford you dignity.”
Councillor McGrath then moved on to the issue of the £350,000 savings and the impact on staff.
He said” “Are you so poor at managing your resources that you can’t (out of the millions and millions you spend each week) find 350k to maintain services at a Downe Hospital you have already ripped the heart out of?
“You can’t manage to find 350k? I may go back and search my dictionary and check for the term ‘poor financial management’. This is unacceptable.
“And as for the staff – some who live a decent drive away from the Downe and as a result of your mismanagement get offered jobs in the Ulster?
“This is hardly acceptable asking people to drive a round trip of 90 miles across rural, mountainous county Down to got to work and back.
Asking people that have worked a lifetime in one place to move to somewhere else – upsetting lives, upturning family lives and then sneering ‘well, at least you will have a job’.
“You only think of one thing Trust Board and one thing only. Because the elephant in the room is that this time, like every time, to the point of bleeding mercy – each and every one of you is complicit in protecting at all costs the bastion that is Camp Ulster Hospital.
“Like military precision you move, manoeuver, cajole and connive to make sure that your empire at Dundonald is maintained.
* we lost 24 hour consultant led A and E
* we lost our anesthetists
* we’ve lost our intensive area unit
* we have lost non-elective surgery
* we’ve seen elective surgery slashed
* we have wards that were built fitted out but never opened
* Consultants and clinics moved out
* Finance and Administrative staff moved on
* St John’s home shut down,
* Our Maternity Ward downgraded
* bed reductions,
* staff relocations
“These decisions have to be overturned. The people of this area demand it.”
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