Strong support for Downe

Strong support for Downe

29 April 2015

IF one subject united the area’s seven MP candidates at Thursday’s hustings, it was their recognition of powerful community support for the Downe Hospital.

Yet despite their consensus that local people want the Downpatrick hospital to offer full services, as demonstrated through the Love the Downe Rally in February, the candidates disagreed on who and what was to blame for the downgrading of services.

Health Minister and DUP candidate Jim Wells told the audience the removal of accident and emergency cover was due to a shortage of staff rather than money.

He said the unit’s rota system had collapsed following the sudden departure of a consultant who was impossible to replace because doctors prefer to work in large teaching hospitals.

Mr Wells said regulations hindering the recruitment of Indian doctors had also had an impact on services, which he said was acutely felt as more locally qualified medics emigrate to Australia.

He warned that a dearth of consultants, with 51 needed across Northern Ireland, meant full accident and emergency service could not be restored in Downpatrick.

“With middle grade doctors we are struggling,” he said. “We cannot fill the rota. If I could produce staff of out nowhere it would be fantastic and the money is there to pay them.

Mr. Wells said that although the Downe Hospital was busier than ever, there was a perception it had been downgraded because of the fact that people judge their hospitals according to their provision of A&E, emergency medicine and surgery.

SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie blamed the Department of Health for ignoring the promise of an enhanced local hospital in Downpatrick.

“We were promised a new Downe Hospital,” she said. “It was to be an enhanced local hospital, there was to be one in Downpatrick and one in Omagh. I believe the Department of Health has ignored that principal.”

Miss Ritchie said whoever is elected as MP would need to lobby in the House of Commons for an improved Northern Ireland budget.

“We have a fight all the way for the community and we have to make sure we have the right budget,” she said.

UKIP candidate Henry Reilly said he empathised with the Health Minister in relation to the Downe and claimed relaxed migration within Europe meant doctors from further afield could no longer obtain visas to work in the UK.

“Staffing issues are the same throughout the UK as a result of the European working directive,” he said.

“No matter how many MPs go to Westminster there is no democracy in the UK any more. We are dictated to by Brussels.

“All the fantastic doctors that came here for years are gone because they cannot get visas. We are not getting doctors, we are getting labourers.

“Until we get this sorted out the Health Service will continue to suffer.”

However, Sinn Fein’s Chris Hazzard denied the situation affecting the Downe Hospital was related to Europe.

“We need to depoliticise when it comes to health.,” he said. “I want to get to the part where the community in Down is hearing good news about its hospital.

“What we need to see is a Health Minister who stands up to officials who are destroying our services with a centralisation policy.

“The community needs to keep doing what we are doing but we need to see a lot more leadership from the likes of Wells.”

Alliance candidate Martyn Todd suggested doctors should be required to obtain experience in different settings as part of their career progression, meaning medics would have an incentive and obligation to work in smaller units like the Downe.

He said he believed the recent hospital rally had made politicians pay attention.

“Numbers of people make politicians think. You are doing a right thing keeping your numbers up and I will help you whatever way I can.”

UUP candidate Harold McKee said he felt more action needed to be taken within the mental health field.

“Money needs to be spent. If I am in Westminster and we need money I will do my utmost to get that money.”

“I would like to see something done about it before it is too late,” he added.

Conservative candidate Felicity Buchan blamed waste and inefficiencies at Stormont for difficulties within the health service and said all hospitals could be maintained if changes are made.

“We spend more per capita on health in Northern Ireland than we do elsewhere yet your A&E waits are longer, there are longer waiting lists for cancer patients,” she said.

“We should lower managerial costs and put the money into frontline services. If we spend the health budget better we can sustain all our hospitals.”