Survivor calls on new minister to meet her

Survivor calls on new minister to meet her

20 May 2015

A CROSSGAR woman with complex medical needs has challenged new Stormont Health Minister Simon Hamilton to meet her to discuss the future of the Downe Hospital.

Jane Brodie says she owes her life to the Downpatrick hospital and is concerned that a number of key services have been stripped away from the facility, including 24-hour accident and emergency provision.

Mrs Brodie suffers from an acute medical condition which can result in fluid gathering in her lungs and heart. When that happens she has to be transferred to hospital within minutes.

In March this year she became acutely ill at her Saintfield Road home and was rushed to the Downe where staff stabilised her condition before she was transported by ambulance to the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, accompanied by a doctor, an anaesthetist and a cardiac nurse.

Mrs Brodie said her medical condition could lead to her “literally drowning in fluid” which gathers in her body and insists the journey to the Downe is one she would prefer to take from her home “rather than taking her chances on a longer journey to Dundonald.”

Ill health forced her to quit her job with the health service a number of years ago and concerned at what has been happening to services at the Downpatrick hospital, the Crossgar woman is keen to meet with the Health Minister.

“I want him to hear from me how necessary the Downe Hospital is for me and many other patients. I would not be here today if it were not for the excellent staff at both the Downe and Ulster hospitals,” she declared.

Mrs Brodie, who requires 24-hour oxygen supplied via a special machine installed at her home, said her condition can “change within minutes” and she needs to be hospitalised immediately.

“I was rushed to the Downe last February when my condition deteriorated and again the following month. The Downpatrick hospital is my lifeline and I am concerned so many services have been taken away. I have complex medical needs and it is important my local hospital is available to me when I need it,” she continued.

“It’s literally 10 minutes from my home to the Downe. It would take an additional 15 minutes to get to the Ulster and when my condition deteriorates these are 15 precious minutes I can ill afford to lose in an ambulance.”

Mrs Brodie’s condition was so acute when she took ill a few months ago that after being placed in an induced coma her family were advised to “say their goodbyes” before she left the Downe for the Ulster in case she did not survive the journey.

“Having the Downe Hospital so close to my home is reassuring. I would not be here today had it not been for the excellent staff in Downpatrick. The key role they play in the life of this community is something Mr Hamilton must hear at first hand,” she continued.

“I would also like the new health minister to visit the Downe to see what an excellent facility it is and the potential which exists to deliver more services to ease pressure on hospitals in the greater Belfast area which are struggling to cope with increasing demand.”

Mrs Brodie believes that by talking to her and other patients like her, the health minister will have a deeper understanding of what the Downe Hospital means to the people.

She added: “I am alive today because of the Downe and want reassurance that if my condition deteriorates again, the hospital and its staff will be there to save my life. 

“I am living proof of the need to have local hospitals providing lifesaving services. The Downe provides a first class service and the people of this district deserve nothing less.”