Call on health minister to clarify future of Downe

14 April 2021

HEALTH campaigners are to join forces with local politicians as part of a major new offensive to ensure that the Downe Hospital continues to deliver key services.

The unanimous decision to involve the Down Community Heath Committee with Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s discussions about the future of the Downpatrick hospital was agreed last week when Stormont health minister Robin Swann was also asked to reaffirm his department’s commitment to the Downe.

Politicians — who are also seeking a meeting with the minister — backed a proposal to press him for answers after recent claims about plans to close half of Northern Ireland’s hospital across the next decade.

The Department of Health has vehemently denied the claim, insisting that a province-wide review of urgent and emergency care is “not about closing hospitals and never has been”, but aims to establish a new regional care model for Northern Ireland with a project group established to take this work forward and engage with local interest groups.

At last week’s monthly meeting of the local authority, Cllr Michael Savage urged Mr Swann to retain and expand the Downe Hospital and allay the fears of residents who have fought to retain its vital services that the facility will not be downgraded or closed as part of any future healthcare plans.

Politicians have also asked the Northern Ireland Executive to provide the health minister with the necessary funding to retain and enhance services at the Downe, with politicians keen to work with local health campaigners to discuss the challenges and threats to hospitals in a post pandemic environment.

Cllr Savage tabled a notice of motion seeking “urgent clarity” from the health minister on rumours that the Department of Health is potentially hatching plans post-Covid to halve the number of Northern Ireland hospitals.

“If the rumours are to be believed, we could be looking at the scenario where we have five so-called golden hospitals at the Royal Victoria, Ulster, Craigavon, Antrim and Altnagelvin, with the remainder, including the Downe, being potentially relegated to a phone ahead urgent care centre,” he said.

“There has been a review of urgent and emergency care headed up by a consultant at the Royal which I believe was completed pre-Covid, but has still to see the light of day. It is imperative that this report is published and consulted upon so that we can see the stark reality of what key strategists in health here are thinking.

“Are we to take the threat of having the Downe and Daisy Hill in Newry reduced to different grades of urgent care centres? If we are, then we need to maintain solidarity as a district and not allow this to happen

to either of our two beloved hospitals.”

Cllr Savage said the local authority could not get into a “divide and conquer approach” that saw “one end of the district get more crumbs from the health service table than the other”.

“We need to fight to protect and enhance the services at both hospitals. We want services retained and enhanced for our people,” he said.

The Newry councillor pointed to the 30-year community campaign for a new Downe Hospital, suggesting that since its foundation stone was laid “it has been a constant battle to retain services”, commending the Down Community Health Committee for its work in fighting to retain local services.

“We in this district should not have to constantly look over our shoulder in fear of the centralising grim reapers within the Department of Health attempting to swing the axe again at our cherished local hospitals to enhance services within a cluster of hospitals within the greater Belfast area,” declared Cllr Savage.

“Elected representatives have an obligation to speak up for our people and ensure that we are not treated as second class citizens when it comes to access to local hospital services and first class health care.

“The Department of Health should be looking to enhance local hospitals and a strategy needs to be looked at regionally with the emphasis on fair access to local health services.”

Highlighting the need to fight to protect the health rights of rural communities across the district, Cllr Savage called for a “fair share of specialist services” across all hospitals, suggesting that if the Downe is good enough to provide cataract surgery, it is good enough to provide other services.

Cllr Savage added: “We need to look at the challenges we face in health and ask ourselves are the current engagement structures we have capable of holding decision makers within health to account into the future and could they withstand the body blow of a potential decision to halve the number of current hospitals?

“We need to review those structures and a good place to start would be enhanced engagement with the Down Community Health Committee and Daisy Hill Pathfinder Group, inviting these groups to meet with us to discuss their concerns for the future of our local hospitals in a post-Covid world.”

Cllr Savage said local people required an “unequivocal statement” from the health minister that there are no plans to reduce the number of hospitals and a “cast iron guarantee” that there are no plans to downgrade the Downe Hospital

He added: ”Only when we get a response will we know if the rumours are just rumours. If it’s the latter, ever member of the chamber and everyone across this district will be up for that fight.”

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