Downe Hospital Campaigners Plan Major Petition For A&E

Down Community Health Committee plans to run a petition to have 24/7 Downe Hospital A&E re-opened

The main item on the agenda at the Down Community Health Committee (DCHC) meeting held in Denvir’s Hotel on Monday 9th December 2024 was a proverbial hot potato that local politicians were invited to grasp.

Just two weeks previous, councillors in Newry Mourne and Down District Council had the opportunity to grill Roisin Coulter, Chief Executive of the South Eastern HSC Trust. However, the three trusts made their presentations relatively unchallenged.

Eamonn McGrady, Chair of the Down Community Health Committee explained a chain of events which has caused deep concern to the DCHC members and further afield.

Mr McGrady indicated that on the 5th December the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt invited people to share their views in a consultation exercise which appeared to favour the five main hospitals across the Trust areas and this appeared to suggest a “pre-determined outcome.”

He added: “The South Eastern HSC Trust is the first to announce its local consultation to be held on 17th December from 7-9pm at the Ards Community Hospital. Again this looks like a pre-determined outcome and we must write to the Minister and engage with him on this.”

In the discussion that followed there was concern that the South Eastern HSC Trust had not called the consultation meeting in Downpatrick but 25 miles away in Newtownards eight days before Christmas.

One DCHC member farmer John Carson said: “The Minister visited the Downe Hospital recently and it would have been a courtesy if he had invited our chairman during his visit. It should have been an opportunity to build relationships.”

However, much of the discussion centred on comments made by Roisin Coulter at a Special Meeting held by Newry Mourne and Down Dstrict Council on Monday 25th November in the Council chamber where the South Eastern HSC Trust, the Southern Regional HSC Trust and the NI Ambulance Service made presentations. Up first was South Eastern HSC Trust Chief Executive Roisin Coulter.

CHECK OUT THE AUDIO RECORDING OF THE SPECIAL COUNCIL HEALTH MEETING ON MONDAY 25 11 24

Ms Coulter suggested that it would be “putting patients at risk” if the Trust proceeded with a 24/7 A&E at the Downe Hospital. The meeting noted that the Downe A&E closed in September 2010 a short time after the new hospital reopened.

She spoke on winter pressures, the financial position and children’s short break provision.

Ms Coulter said that opening the Downe 24/7 is at odds with the recommendation with the Bengoa Report (which was published over 7 years ago in October 2017) and that she did not support the idea of a petition calling for the re-opening of the Downe A&E 24/7.

Following discussion at the DCHC meeting, it was agreed that the DCHC launch a petition in mid-January, both online and off-line, reaching out widely across the Lecale area to organisations and groups and people in the community.

Also discussed at the meeting was the latest NIAS ambulance plans which do not appear to have been a product of consultation with the public. Mr McGrady questioned why the number of ambulances available will be reduced when there is a clear demand for the service. One woman present cited the case recently of a 96-year old from the Downpatrick area having a very bad experience with an ambulance and not gaining prompt admission to an A&E.

Mr McGrady said this was a clear case of “no room at the inn.” He also provided details of the services available at the Downe Hospital following a FOI request. Cllr Oonagh Hanlon said there was no inclusion of addiction services at the Downshire Estate in the list. (but these may have been included in Adult Mental Health Services but needed clarification).

At the end of the meeting, Mr McGrady also presented a Down Community Health Committee ‘Local Health Manifesto’ which has been circulated in a previous campaign:

1. Healthcare services should be delivered locally insofar as is possible. Local hospitals should be at the heart of healthcare delivery.
2. Rural citizens must be treated equally with their urban counterparts. This must be enshrined in effective legislation.
3. NHS care should be delivered free of charge on the basis of needs on a non-judgemental basis.
4. Private healthcare shoukd not be delivered iun NHS facilities.
5. Medical consultants should be contracted to work exclusively within the NHS.
6. Hospital care should be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Hospitals can no longer wind down for the weekend.
7. Mental Health care should be given the same priority as physical health care.
8. Massive investment in family practitioner services is required to improve access and care.
9. The burden of necessary bureaucracy must be alleviated across the NHS freeing healthcare practitioners to serve patients.
10. All doctors and consultants shouyld be engaged on Trustwide contracts with mandatoryt rotation to smaller hospitals.
11. All healthcare workers should be treated with respect and paid at least a living wage. Voluntary Community and Private sector workers contacted by the Trusts, directly or indirectly, should have the same entitlements. All works should be paid their travelling expenses in full by their employers.
12. The will of the people should be paramount in all respects.
13. Politicians must determine healthcare policy.
14. The Health and Social Care Board and many health quango’s should be closed down with their funcy=gtions transferred to the Department of Health or the reduced number of local Health Trusts.
15. Existing health trusts should be restructured with one to serve the Greater Belfast area andtwo.three others serving the rest of the North.
16. All public health organisations must be required to operate within the spirit as well as the letter of equality legislation.
17. A new Healthcare Inspectorate with far reaching powers, rights, duties and responsibilities must be establishedto enable patients and carers to make direct contact to raise concerns or make complaints. This inspectorate which should be established by legislation, should be be modelled on the Police Ombudsman’s Office.
18. 24-hour accident and emergency services and the designated coronary care unit at theg Downe Hospital must be restored immediately.

CHECK OUT THE AUDIO RECORDING OF THE SPECIAL COUNCIL HEALTH MEETING ON MONDAY 25 11 24