Public meeting on Downe Hospital A&E

Public meeting on Downe Hospital A&E

19 February 2014

A PUBLIC meeting is being held in Downpatrick tomorrow night to discuss the controversial axing of weekend and evening A&E services at the Downe Hospital.

The meeting — which is being held at St. Patrick’s Grammar School starting at 7.30pm — is being organised by the Down Community Health Committee and is the first in a series it is organising across the district.

The meetings are being held to provide people with an opportunity to make their views known on the South Eastern Trust decision to reduce A&E provision at the Downpatrick hospital.

Health officials are blaming the move on a lack of middle grade doctors and are planning to introduce a minor injuries service at the Downe at weekends. However, hospital campaigners, politicians and the community want the consultant-led emergency department service returned.

Community Health Committee chairman, Eamonn McGrady, said there is a very strong feeling within the community about the A&E issue.

He said it has been “very encouraging” throughout the campaign to hear the messages of support coming in and the great interest there is on this issue.

“People in this area fight for their local hospital services and we are going to have to do that again. We are quite prepared for the battle,” he declared.

Mr. McGrady said that in excess of 15,000 people have signed a petition calling for the restoration of weekend and early evening emergency services at the Downe, and the health committee’s social media campaign on Facebook has secure around 7,300 likes.

He continued: “The views of most of the politicians on this issue are very well known, but we want to provide an opportunity for the public to come along, hear the views being expressed and give them an opportunity to say how they feel about this important issue.

“We want to hear what people have to say about what happened and the circumstances in which the A&E change has arisen and, perhaps come up with some suggestions as to how we can further support the development of services at the Downe.”

Mr. McGrady said hospital campaigners want to get the message across that the Downpatrick hospital is very much open for business, still providing a lot of very important services to the entire community, not just in Downpatrick, but all across East Down and Lecale.

“Too often, people focus on Downpatrick itself and forget about Newcastle and Ballynahinch and the outlying areas and vast rural hinterland, out through Lecale and up along the coast into the foothills of the Mournes.

“People in all these areas are dependent on services being provided at the Downe and the need for a 24-hour emergency department service that was previously being supplied,” declared Mr. McGrady.

The senior hospital campaigner said there is a widely expressed view that the change that has occurred at the Downe is not a consequence of a change in clinical need.

“It is to do with the allocation of resources, specifically a shortage of emergency department doctors. There is the same number of doctors in the country and it’s a matter of the best configuration of where they should be working to meet the needs of the people of this area,” said Mr. McGrady.

As the countdown continues to tomorrow night’s meeting, the Community Health Committee chairman said “if people care they will be there.”

Mr. McGrady added: “We are looking forward to having a very big crowd at tomorrow night’s meeting, the first in a series we are holding over the next few weeks.

“We want to see the whole community represented because everyone has been working together on this issue. It’s essential we maintain the unity of the entire community on this issue as therein lies the strength of our campaign.”

Meanwhile, South Down MLA Chris Hazzard has called for a direct bus route to be developed between Downpatrick and the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.

He is seeking support for the new service from Health Minister Edwin Poots and his counterparts at Regional Development and Agriculture, Danny Kennedy and Michelle O’Neill respectively.

Mr. Hazzard called for ministerial support following a recent meeting with Translink for what he described as a “vital service” between Downpatrick and Dundonald.

The MLA revealed Translink officials are in the process of costing a twice daily service between both towns and Mr. Hazzard is hoping the Stormont ministers “do everything in their power” to ensure that the necessary funding is made available for the new route to commence.

“Recent changes to health provision in the Down area have left it nearly impossible for some people to access hospital services. It is crucial that accessible public transport to the Ulster Hospital is available for local people,” he added.

Mr. Hazzard’s party colleague, Naomi Bailie, said public transport must adapt to what she described as the “changing dynamics of local health provision.”

Welcoming Translink’s intention to run a service from Downpatrick town centre to the Downshire estate and Downe Hospital, she said its provision remained dependent on financial support from other agencies.

Miss Bailie added: “Translink has sought financial support from the tenants based at the Downshire estate including Down Council. It’s vital the local authority supports this service and in so doing, provide a much-needed service for local people and open the public sector hub to the community.”