The Down Community Health Committee is emphatically opposed to any further reduction in service provision at the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick.
Last week’s announcement by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust that it “proposed to further ‘temporarily’ reduce bed numbers at the Downe Hospital and merge the remaining medical and coronary care beds at the six year old hospital is “simply unacceptable”, said Eamon McGrady, DCHC chairman.
[caption id="attachment_52813" align="aligncenter" width="540"]
A protest took place last Friday outside the Downe Hospital opposing the cuts to local services.[/caption]
He added: “The nine bed reduction is simply unconscionable. ‘Temporary’ bed closures during the summer lead to significant bed pressures in the Downe Hospital, the ‘enhanced’ local hospital for which the people of Down District fought valiantly.
“We are also concerned that ‘temporary’ changes at the Downe Hospital could become permanent. The disgraceful reduction in Accident and Emergency provision at the Downe Hospital announced in the very face of Christmas last year, shows no signs of being reversed.
[caption id="attachment_52817" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Anne Shannon at the protest with her daughter Ciara.[/caption]
“The Downe Hospital must not be reduced in status to a poly-clinic, with a small number of geriatric beds, some limited outpatie”nt services and GP Surgeries filing up the building.
“The Downpatrick and wider Down District community needs the enhanced local hospital promised to us with 24- hour accident and emergency service, a full nine-bed coronary care unit and a thriving midwifery-led maternity unit.”
Me McGrady explained: The latest cuts, widely believed to be disproportionately targeted on the Down area, are purely financially motivated and not based on clinical need.
“The ‘disconnect’ between our community, its elected representatives and the gigantic health service bureaucracy, has never been so severe.
“The community and its politicians will have to unite to fight these cuts and defend the very existence of the Downe as a properly functioning enhanced local hospital.
“We call on Jim Wells, local South Down MLA and Health Minister, to immediately reject the Trust’s proposed cuts and instruct the Trust to come up with fresh proposals that will maintain all services at the Downe Hospital.
“We look forward to meeting him with our politicians at the earliest opportunity to discuss the matter.”
Anne Shannon, a former secretary of the DCHC and wide of the late campaighner Dick Shannon, added: “Closing down the corononary care unit will be the death knell of the Downe Hospital. We must oppose these changes strongly.”
]]>
