Councillor Cadogan Enright brought forward a proposal to create a health committee in Newry Mourne and Down Council last night and it was passed but not without his attendance record at previous health committee meetings in the old Down District Council being challenged by  DUP Councillor Billy Walker.
Cllr Enright explained that there had been a long tradition of the council in Down District supporting the local Downe Hospital health campaign. Speaking after the debate, he said: “The Down Community Health Committee is a group with which many councillors in the old Down District area were associated with and had led many hospital campaigns down through the years.
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Councillor Cadogan Enright proposed a Health Committee be set up in the new Newry  Mourne and Down District Council.[/caption]
“These campaigns helped to get the new hospital built, and most recently organised the 20,000 person demonstration last year.
“The legacy Down District Council always had a very successful tradition of actively supporting this campaign with a Council-backed forum and ensured this vital campaign was supported wherever possible with Council resources and also worked to ensure the development of this site as a whole.
“The tradition of the Council-supported Hospital campaign does not have a parallel in the same manner in the Newry area, but it would seem to many of us that in view of potential threats to services at Daisy Hill such a forum should encompass Newry as well.
“Having the ability to tackle hospital related issues pro-actively and at short notice gave Down Council an ability to strongly influence outcomes in Health Services in this area”.
Cllt Enright’s motion was finally lightly amended and read as: “…that Newry Mourne and Down District Council establish a Health Forum to counter long-standing attempts to downgrade hospital services at the Down and Daisy Hill sites. This Forum will incorporate representation from the Down Community Health Committee and an equivalent fully representative organisation from the Newry area.”
In an exchange over Cllr Billy Walker attacking Cllr Enright over his attendance at health committee meetings in the old Down District Council, Cllr Enright said in his motion summary: “We all recognise that we need to work with the Community Planning Process. We know the previous forum in council was there to deal with health issues as they arose.”
In addressing the remarks of Cllr Walker, Cllr Enright said: “Cllr Walker blocked me from speaking and the right to represent the people who voted for me.”
Council Chief Executive Liam Hannaway explained that there was a statutory responsibility to bring the Community Planning agenda forward under the legislation and that representation on this body will be proportionate to the political parties at the time of election. He added that if other parties came aboard the process they may be required to commit to the Code of Conduct. He also added that if a new group was set up that it would take time to draw up its terms of reference etc.
Independent Councillor David Hyland seconded the motion saying the Newry and Mourne Health Action Group had ran a series of events and meetings to oppose the downgrading of Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. Councillors could and did join in with this campaigning work. He said: “There is a degree of frustration existing at the moment where volunteers do want to engage in the health campaign. I would like to see the committee up and running again.”
DUP Councillor Garth Craig said: “My recollection of health committee meetings were that they were often adversarial and I’m not sure what this new forum proposed will achieve. The new Community Planning process will take time to work so I feel we should try a more collaborative approach and run with Community Planning as required by Council. People can feed into this data hub and if urgent issues emerge then community groups can feed into it. As it stands I don’t support the motion.
“There is no reason that a task force should be set up.”
Walker Attacks Enright Over Attendance Record At Health Meetings
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DUP Councillor Billy Walker has challenged Cllr Enright over his attendance at health meetings at Down District Council whilst Cllr Enright was bringing forward a health motion.[/caption]
Cllr Billy Walker (DUP) “I’ve said this before, I have even attacked my own party’s health ministers over matters of health relating to the Downe Hospital. In the old Down District Council, I had a 100% record of attending health committee meetings and I am surprised at Cllr Enright bringing this motion forward as he almost never attended the old health meetings of council.
“There were meetings when there were as many health officials there as councillors. This was quite embarassing at times. I printed off the cover sheets for the minutes of the old health meetings and the attendance was not good. The old committee was in fact a full meeting of the then 23 councillors and all had speaking rights, so I don’t agree with Cllr Enright’s claims that I blocked him from speaking. He had full speaking rights. He was never gagged.
“We could still hold the health trusts to account through our new community planning process. We can invite the trusts and other bodies including the Down Community Health Committee to come and present to us when necessary. We do need to give the Community Planning process and the council officers a chance to make it work.”
McGrath Welcomes Formation of Health Forum In Council
Cllr Colin McGrath (SDLP) has welcomed the unanimous decision of council to form a Health Forum to address the deficit of services in our local health care sector.
Cllr McGrath said: “We have seen the steady erosion and demise of substantive services at the Downe Hospital and a pattern of service reduction. Such a pattern started many years ago and one can see a similar pattern forming at the Daisy Hill hospital.
“Council needs to have a robust and capable Forum to be able to address stealthy and swift proposed service reductions to the health provision of our area – in Downe we remember only too well being given only days of notices of A & E reductions, the fact that it was temporary (from three years ago) and subsequent consultations where our voice and views went unheard are all unacceptable and need a Forum to address them.
“We also have a great potential in Community Planning to deliver real change in the area but I am concerned that many Ministers, if present, are not ‘signing-off’ on their department’s involvement in the Community Planning process and there is a potential for it to become a titular plan and not provide any real substance to our area.
“This Health Forum can draw upon the experience of all councillors, local interested groups, lobby groups and experienced individuals to ensure a robust response to consultations and proposed changes and will ensure people have their council on their side in these changes.
“They should expect nothing less of their locally elected representatives.”
Sinn Féin Cllr Stephen Burns said: “Community Planning is the only show in town. It is a better way to deliver services.
“We now have the opportunity of siting down with our statutory partners and working with them. If this does not happen then we don’t have a partnership.
“The Slieve Roe residential home issue is a classic example… we can call in the Trust’s and hold them to account. This process is laid out. Community Planning is a way to address roads issues too and other key matters affecting or communities.”
UUP Cllr David Taylor also said: “I too have problems with the wording of the motion, and the scope of the proposed health group is limited and not clearly defined. I believe the Health and Wellbeing Committee will be the main show in town.”
SDLP Cllr Brian Quinn said: “We will be dealing with two trusts. We could keep our options open and run with both the Community Planning option and the proposed health forum. Once we have buy in from the trusts we can  the dispose of the health committee forum option and work with the Community Planning process.”
The motion was carried unanimously after considerable discussion.
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