The petition for the Downe Community Health Committee has closed and is now prepared for presentation to the health authorities
The Downe Hospital Health Committee (DCHC) held a special meeting this morning (Friday 12th December 2025) to discuss the handing over of the petition to have the Downe Hospital 24/7 A&E re-opened.
Downpatrick had a fever hospital build in 1834 at the old Downe Hospital site but by the 1970s it was clear that the site could not be developed further to meet demand.
Eventually the Scott Wilson Group were commissioned to build a new hospital on the Ardglass Road which opened in June 2009. But due to ‘staffing and funding issues’, the South Eastern HSC Trust closed the Downe A&E on 30th March 2020 and opened an Urgent Care centre for non-life-threatening cases.
Since then, with public support, the Downe Community Health Committee has led a campaign to have the ED restored along with supporting other issues. The Trust has refused to re-open the ED mainly on the grounds of safety.
DCHC Chair Comments On The Petition
Eamonn McGrady, Chair of the Down Community Health Committee, said that this was a single item meeting to agree a path forward in delivering the petition to health officials.
He said around 12,500 signatures were collected and another 14,000 online who expressed their views.
Cathy Mason MLA and Oonagh Hanlon both gave apologies as they have the flu.
Eamonn McGrady said” “The ratepayers and taxpayers of this district and in surrounding areas have expressed their views to have the Downe Hospital re-opened.
“Local people are becoming more active in voicing their concerns at the lack of a 24/7 A&E in Downpatrick. And they are voicing their concerns about officialdom and the way it treats this area.”
Mason Gives Full Support To Health Campaign
Eamonn McGrady read from an email from Cathy Mason supporting the Campaign. She said: “My support is there for all involved in this campaign. `
“The Downe ED must be re-opened. Colin McGrath MLA and myself asked for the petition to be formally delivered… I want to fight for the services this community needs and deserves.”
Cathy Mason described an email she received from the Health Minister’s office saying that they could leave the petition box at the reception with security and officials from the health department would collect it.
She said that this summed up the Department’s attitude to the campaign.
Hazzard Backs Health Campaign
South Down MP Chris Hazzard said: “I want to acknowledge the tremendous work that has gone into the petition to protect and enhance services at the Downe Hospital, which has now secured over 14,000 signatures.
“This level of support reflects a deep and growing concern across South Down and beyond, about the decline in health service provision in rural communities.
“It is unacceptable that the Health Minister has refused to receive the petition, particularly as a local MLA himself.
“I will continue to support the vital work of the Down Community Health Committee and to fight for the Downe Hospital.
“The Downe has the facilities, the staff, and the full backing of this community. Health transformation cannot become a by-word for the managed decline of local services. Rural communities must not be left behind.”
McGrath Says We Must Keep Battling For Our Health Rights
Colin McGrath MLA said: “Many of us have been involved in this campaign for years. The main argument for closing the Downe ED was in staffing and patient safety. It appears now that that they don’t have any trouble now in recruiting staff elsewhere.
“Therefore we need to keep up the pressure on the Department of Health and the Minister and extend this campaign further.
“Some officials may argue that Downpatrick is only 30 miles away for the Belfast hospitals but they need to respect rural people and the issue they face in getting to hospital in Belfast.
“And if an ambulance leaves this district, it may be sent to other tasks away from this area hence poor ambulance cover by the NIAS. The local people lose the ability to get effective emergency responses.
“The Downe is now classed as a Category 3 hospital like the other 18 smaller hospitals across the North.
“When I strongly put my case to the Department they said they would look at it. We are only asking what we are entitled to.”
Eamonn McGrady said that “Cathy Mason and Colin McGrath speaking on these issue has become public knowledge. They are not the best of friends with officialdom. But I think that this gives a great confidence to the people in our area that are standing up for our health rights.”
Colin McGrath added: “The health authorities aim to downgrade our health facilities and in the Downpatrick area, the people are adamant that they secure their rights to equitable health care.
“We just have to look at the recent case of one of own health campaigners, a former vice chairman Dermot McNabb, a man in his 90’s who fell and lay for hours on the ground because there was no ambulance available to take him to an ED.”
Petition Organisers Speak Out
Philomena Pendergast, one of the petition instigators said: “I broke my leg recently in the South of Ireland. An ambulance turned up within 30 minutes and I received excellent care in hospital.
“That may not be the case in our district if I had fallen here.”
And Patricia Watterson, the other petition organiser, said: “There are still many people despite the petition who do not understand what is going on in our health service.
“They must be informed so that we can fully activate all the people in our wider community.”
A number of options were discussed on how the petition will be delivered and these will be shortlisted and decided on over Christmas.
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