The long-standing Down Community Health Committee has called on a huge effort to restore the Downe A&E services to a 24/7 service.
In a statement from the Down Community Health Committee (DCHV), chairman Eamonn McGrady said: “The Down Community Health Committee looks forward to the day when a 24/7 Emergency Department is restored at the Downe Hospital.
“We appreciate that that will not happen in the immediate future. In the interim, we are calling for the restoration of the pre-Covid level of emergency department service at the Downe, extended to seven days per week. We can see no reason for further delay in that.
“Pending that action, we are calling on the Trust to immediately extend the opening hours of the Urgent Care Centre to 8am to 8pm, as a matter of urgency and for the Urgent Care Centre to become a 7-day a week provision.
“This is a small step that will have the effect of taking pressure off other hospitals in the region and, more importantly, from the perspective of the people of East Down, deliver a safe and convenient service to patients and their families.
“It may also alleviate some pressure on the Ambulance Service that has been, entirely understandably, experiencing some difficulties in providing appropriate ambulance responses to our area.”
Mr MrGrady added: “It has come to our attention that there are some issues in connection with laboratory testing for the Downe Hospital site.
“Limited onsite testing is currently available at the Downe Hospital but we understand that a modest capital investment in point of care testing could lead to a significant increase in diagnostic capacity on the Downe site. The time for that investment has arrived.
“We are calling on the South Eastern Trust to address this issue as a matter of urgency, We would also encourage local elected representatives to pursue this matter vigorously, until it is addressed.”
At the core of the pressures on the health service are budgetary constraints and the increasing tendency to centralisation. In the introduction to the Bengoa Report commissioned in 2016 by the then Health Minister Simon Hamilton, Mr Bengoa indicated that £4.6 billion is needed annually, that is 46% of the Northern Ireland budget, to service health and social care.
Bengoa said in his report that that there is a 6% budget increase requirement annually to stand still and that we would “expect the budgetary requirement to double by 2026/27 to maintain the current system. This is clearly unsustainable…” Bengoa added that other government departments such as employment, education, housing and the need for a safe society also contribute towards a healthy society.
With a number of political distractions currently in the media focus, it is the responsibility of the Assembly members and the Executive to get a grip of the situation to make fair and effective decisions regarding our health care.
The members of the Down Community Health Committee have set out their stall on numerous occasions calling for a restoration of the Downe A&E. With an Assembly election planned in May 2022, but the possibility of a snap election always a possibility, parties and politicians need to step up to the plate and deliver for the people of East Down.
(For details of what emergency treatment is available and when at the Downe Hospital, check the website of the South Eastern HSC Trust at) :
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