Daisy Hill: Southern Trust rubber-stamps Craigavon surgery move plan

Recruiting and retaining surgical staff has been a significant issue for the hospital

A permanent move of emergency general surgery from a Newry hospital to Craigavon has moved a step closer.

The surgery service was temporarily withdrawn from Daisy Hill Hospital at the end of February 2022.

Now, the Southern Health Trust, which oversees health services in the area, has recommended it moves permanently to Craigavon Area Hospital after a public consultation.

The recommendation will be considered by the Department of Health.

It comes as some services at Daisy Hill have come under threat due to issues recruiting and retaining staff.

In June, further service changes were proposed leading to a protest in Newry.

The trust said the emergency general surgery decision came after the a report on a 12-week public consultation on the future of the service in the area.

Its medical director Dr Stephen Austin said, having trialled the approach for 18 months, delivering surgery from Craigavon was "the only way we can maintain a safe and effective service".

Craigavon Area Hospital to host emergency general services

The initial move was made due to surgeon recruitment challenges, an issue which has been ongoing across Northern Ireland.

Emergency general surgery has also been temporarily withdrawn from the South West Acute Hospital (Swah) in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

Dr Austin added: "Hospitals with lower volumes of emergency general surgery find it difficult to recruit and retain doctors and many are not able to provide the supporting services that modern surgical centres require.

"Splitting services and staff across both sites is simply not sustainable.

"A one-site model is much safer, with support from sub-specialist colleagues and intensive care, if needed at Craigavon, to give patients the high-quality care that they deserve."

According to the Southern Trust, an average of three patients each day are directed to Craigavon from Daisy Hill for emergency general surgery service.

Emergency general surgery covers unscheduled services such as specialist advice, admission for tests and, for some patients, operations.

'Centralising not the way to go'

However, the moved as faced opposition in Newry by people concerned at loss of services.

Francis Gallagher, from the Save Our Emergency Surgery Campaign Committee, has said previously that people who live in Newry were "very concerned" about having to travel to Craigavon for emergency general surgery.

"Centralising everything is not the way to go. Having these huge hospitals is not the way to go," he added.

• Hundreds protest in Newry over surgery switch plan

Cathrine Reid, director of surgery and clinical services at the trust, said it acknowledged concerns and "understand that people would value a service closer to home".

"We have pathways for those who need transferred to Craigavon, to be directly admitted to the surgical ward, so it is important that Newry and Mourne patients attend Daisy Hill first to benefit from this process.

"With emergency surgery concentrated at Craigavon, we now have additional theatre time at Daisy Hill to benefit more people waiting on planned procedures."