Daisy Hill for life, Hospital Road, Newry (2025)

A page to (1) Celebrate Daisy Hill, Newry city’s Acute Hospital, and its staff and services; (2) Promote need for expansion of specialist acute services, staff, number of beds, & imaging equipment at Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry city for the future Strategically located on the Belfast-Dublin Trans European Network, Newry has excellent road and rail links and is connected to the major Port of Warrenpoint. DAISY HILL Hospital, Newry city is the longest established acute hospital in the Southern Trust and part of a network of 10 redesignated acute hospitals in Northern Ireland, all with 24/7 consultant–led A&E and 24/7 consultant-led maternity to provide a ‘seamless web of acute hospital care’ giving safe timely access to these ‘core’ services for all the population of Northern Ireland. (‘Developing Better Services’, 2003)

Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, a Queen’s University teaching hospital is located in the Newry, Mourne, South Armagh Locality which is, and has always been (since pre 2008) the largest locality of the five localities, with the greatest population and greatest need in the Southern Trust Catchment area.
‘Daisy Hill for Life’ page aims to promote the need for expansion of specialist acute services, staff, number of beds, and imaging equipment at Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry city for now and the future. Newry & Mourne LGD is projected to have the 3rd highest population in Northern Ireland of 118,500 by 2023 (Source: NI Statistics and Research Agency)

Daisy Hill is a respected Acute hospital and Queen's Teaching hospital in Newry and is currently in danger of the Southern Trust and Southern Commissioning Group's plan to remove Daisy Hill services and transfer them to a new hospital in Craigavon. This page is to share info and to help prevent proposed cuts to services and campaign for the capital expenditure for the new acute hospital in Newry as promised by Secretary of State Peter Hain in 2005, based on need and on accurate population projections. Lets keep it for our lives, and generations to come. Website: https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/

05/10/2025

REASONS WHY DAISY HILL IN NEWRY CITY IS ENTITLED TO BE AN AREA HOSPITAL - EXPLAINED
The Dept. of Health will announce the outcome of the Hospital Network Public Consultation soon to reveal if Daisy Hill Acute Hospital in Newry has been renamed as an Area Hospital. Four evidence based reasons for Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry to be renamed as an Area Hospital are: (1) Historical Basis (2) Population size (3) Large land area and (4) Strategic location.

~~~REASON 1: HISTORICAL BASIS -FACTS: NHS HOSPITAL 1949 AND 1 OF 9 EQUAL ACUTE HOSPITALS DESIGNATED IN 2003

Daisy Hill in Newry was made an NHS Hospital in 1949, and was designated by Government as one of a REGIONAL Network of nine EQUAL status major Acute Hospitals in NI in 2003. These decisions were made then, because of the large Population and large land area size, after a DOH Regional Consultation, ‘Developing Better Services’.
In 2003 it was a Ministerial Decision by Minister Des Browne to designate Daisy Hill in Newry as one of the 9 Acute Hospitals of Equal standing. All of these nine hospitals are vital to ensure timely access to CONULTANT LED 24/7 Emergency Surgical and Emergency Medical AND MATERNITY Services WITHIN ONE HOUR, to the entire population of NI no matter where they choose to live. * (Ref 1)

~~~REASON 2: POPULATION SIZE –FACT : NEWRY & MOURNE – THIRD HIGHEST POPULATION in NI

Using official NISRA 2026 Estimated population figures, NEWRY & MOURNE (FORMER LGD) IS RANKED THIRD HIGHEST POPULATION OF THE 26 FORMER COUNCILS IN NI.
Ranking out of 26 councils /Name of Council/ 2026 est. Population size
1st out of 26: Belfast LGD -290,808 people
2nd out of 26: Lisburn LGD - 136,843 people
3rd out of 26: Newry & Mourne LGD - 111,508 people
4th out of 26: Derry LGD - 110,577 people

This 3rd place ranking for Newry & Mourne shows its very high population across the NI Region of 26 councils.

NEWRY & MOURNE IN THE TOP FOUR in NI FOR OVER 5O YEARS

NISRA Statistics also show that SINCE 1971 NEWRY & MOURNE LGD HAS RANKED IN THE TOP 4 HIGHEST POPULATIONS IN NI FOR OVER 50 YEARS WITH BELFAST, LISBURN (GREATER BELFAST) AND DERRY. So Newry & Mourne is growing still further and is entitled to have an Area Hospital.
Important Note: NI Health Care Trusts are still officially organised under the 26 council model.**(Ref 2)

~~~REASON 3: LAND MASS AREA – FACT: NEWRY & MOURNE – THIRD LARGEST IN NI

NEWRY & MOURNE (Former LGD) IS RANKED THIRD LARGEST OF THE LAND MASS areas of the 26 former councils in NI. Using official NISRA Land Measurements, Fermanagh has the largest land measurement with 1699.3sq km. Omagh is second (1129.9sq km) and Newry & Mourne is third largest land measurement with 898.3 sq.km. ***(Ref3)

~~~REASON 4 : LOCATION– FACT: NEWRY’S STRATEGIC LOCATION

Newry city is the main Gateway to NI, strategically located on the Belfast-Dublin Trans European Network, Road, Rail, and Sea economic corridor where hundreds of thousands travel through yearly.
Newry is also the Gateway to the three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty which comprise the designated Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark which also attract many thousands of visitors travelling through the Newry area annually. Newry has excellent road and rail links, and is connected to the major Port of Warrenpoint. Daisy Hill ACUTE Hospital is located at this major population settlement in Newry.

>CONCLUSION - SOLUTIONS TO HOSPITAL NETWORK REFORM

Acute Hospital status, Population, Land mass and location are the 4 main factors to determine the entitlement for an Area Hospital for Daisy Hill, Hospital, Newry in the proposed regional network.

This Hospital is entitled to have a full range of specialist acute services and inpatient beds, along with 24/7 consultant led Accident & Emergency, with emergency surgery and consultant led maternity services just the same as the other named Area Hospitals, in the proposed Network of Hospitals.

To ensure equality of timely access to Consultant Led 24/7 365 Regional inpatient acute Services like Accident and Emergency surgical and Medical services like Heart and Stroke, and consultant led maternity services all Area Hospitals should be selected based on where the people (population) actually live.

The choice of location of Area Hospitals should not be made on the size of the hospital but should take into account the size of the population at each of the former Local Government Districts. The figures should be standardised population sizes and the land mass area to be covered by the fire and rescue service and ambulance service at each former local government district level, not just at a Regional level.

Doing this will show that Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry city is entitled to be an Area Hospital. The facts speak for themselves.

Please continue to share to spread the word. Thank you.

REFS / BACKGROUND

*Ref 1 Developing Better Services (The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety) Minister of State Desmond Browne, 2003.
** Ref 2 THE ORGANISATION OF NI HEALTH CARE IS STILL UNDER THE 26 COUNCIL MODEL
Operational areas in Health trusts still remain under the 26 council model. The former 26 Councils or Local Government Districts (LGDS) or localities are still named in legislation and remain as the Operational area of NI Health Trusts (Establishment Order 2006) and Commissioning Groups.

***Ref 3 Statistics on Population and Land Mass are from Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

Please continue to share to spread the word. Thank you.

Link to blog for more articles like this: https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/2025/01/26/daisy-hill-newry-is-entitled-to-be-in-the-area-hospital-category-in-the-doh-hospital-network-public-consultation-2024-25/

12/08/2025

REGIONAL LIFE SAVING CRITICAL CARE SERVICE (High Dependency Unit) REMOVED FROM DAISY HILL BY SOUTHERN TRUST WITHOUT REGIONAL PUBLIC CONSULTATION

The Southern Trust has now officially withdrawn the High Dependency Unit at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry and seriously ill patients needing Level 2 High Dependency Care are now sent to Craigavon Hospital instead.

WHAT IS HIGH DEPENDENCY CARE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

It was a Ministerial decision by Mr Edwin Poots MLA to open a new 10 bed High Dependency Unit in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry in 2012, because of the number of seriously ill patients (volumes) needing timely access to Critical Care that only a HDU or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can provide. (Ref 1)

Daisy Hill’s High Dependency Unit was situated on Level 3 as can be seen from the picture taken in 2014.

Speaking in 2014 about the Daisy Hill High Dependency Unit (HDU) Dr Shane Moan Consultant Respiratory Physician at DHH stated in Southern Trust promotional material,: “It’s a Ten bedded unit with 2 isolation rooms, It’s spacious, airy, it’s for the delivery of care to Level 2 patients, those are patients who are seriously and critically ill, who require close monitoring, high level of nursing and medical care. Patients are able to receive high quality care and we will recognise deteriorations earlier, hopefully avert the need for patients to be transferred to the intensive care unit. Or if the patient does need to be transferred to the intensive care unit, we will be more advanced in plans for transfer at an earlier stage, so then it’s safer.”

>‘STRENGTHENING THE HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT (HDU) AT DAISY HILL HOSPITAL’ WAS A KEY OBJECTIVE FOR DEPT. OF HEALTH DHH PATHFINDER PROJECT

The Southern Trust decision to withdraw this Regional Service (High Dependency) goes against the Department of Health’s own 2021 Project Objective for Daisy Hill Hospital to have its HDU strengthened.

The Department of Health wrote: ‘OBJECTIVE: ‘TO IMPROVE UNSCHEDULED AND ACUTE MEDICAL SERVICES ON THE DAISY HILL HOSPITAL SITE BY STRENGTHENING THE HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT’. (Quote from the Department of Health, Health and Well Being 2026 -Delivering Together Progress Report 2021: Development of The Daisy Hill Pathfinder, p106) (Ref 2).

It is also stated in DOH Health and Wellbeing 2026 Delivering Together Progress Report 2021 that under the Regional project ‘Development of The Daisy Hill Pathfinder’ the Department were prepared to invest nearly £6 million pounds to develop Daisy Hill Hospital services, especially it’s High Dependency Unit. (Ref 2).

DAISY HILL HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT NOW REMOVED BY SOUTHERN TRUST

In complete contrast to the DOH decision above, the Southern Trust website, the News page on 31 July 2025 shows that the Southern Trust has now removed the HDU from Daisy Hill. This change was based on recommendations from their own Southern Trust ‘DHH Expert Panel’ report. Page 1 of this Expert Panel report stated:

“1.The Provision Of A Unit With A Remit To Provide Level 2/High Dependency Care... on The Daisy Hill Hospital Site CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED ON THE BASIS OF HISTORIC OR CURRENT WORKLOAD” (Ref 3)

However looking at the evidence from Department of Health officially recorded high case volumes in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital’s High Dependency Unit from 2014 -2020, Both historic and modern Regional Critical Care statistics CONFIRM THAT DAISY HILL ACUTE HOSPITAL IN NEWRY HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF INPATIENTS needing High Dependency Critical Care services in all of NI each year since April 2014 to end March 2020. (Ref 4)

These Regional Critical Care Stats show 18,709 patients over six years received life saving critical care in Daisy Hill HDU. That is an average of 3,118 seriously ill patients being cared for in Daisy Hill specialist Acute Hospital HDU Yearly. (Ref 4)

The Royal Victoria Hospital was second highest with a 14,775 total inpatients in HDU for the same six years (2014 to end March 2020), or a yearly average of 2,463 seriously ill patients needing High Dependency care.

More recent DoH figures for the year 2019/20 show that 3,642 critically ill patients in need of timely access to Critical Care Services were admitted to the High Dependency Unit in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital in Newry. (Ref 4)

That equates to an average of 70 EXTREMELY ILL PATIENTS A WEEK who needed HDU Critical Care services in Daisy Hill in 2019/20.

EVIDENCE > DAISY HILL HOSPITAL’S HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT HAD THE HIGHEST PATIENT VOLUMES OF ALL HDUs in NI FROM 2014 -2020

Evidence and statistics from Department of Health Regional Critical Care statistics (above) contradicts the ‘DHH Expert Panel’ report’s statement on page1: “1.the provision of a unit with a remit to provide level 2 /high dependency care... On the daisy hill hospital site cannot be justified on the basis of historic or current workload”

>According to Department of Health Regional Critical Care statistics DAISY HILL Hospital in fact had the HIGHEST NUMBER/volumes of patients’ in HDUs IN ALL of NI for 6 CONSECUTIVE YEARS.

>CONCLUSION – DAISY HILL ACUTE HOSPITAL HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT MUST BE REINSTATED IMMEDIATELY

The Dept of Health is in control of Regional services based on the entire population, and Regional services have to be FAIRLY AND EQUITABLY provided across NI. The Southern Trust should not have withdrawn this vitally important life saving Regional service, High Dependency Unit from Newry’s Daisy Hill Acute Hospital without Regional public consultation.

All Trusts must follow the DoH objectives, statistics and do things properly, follow the chain of command and follow correct procedures when dealing with Regional public services and dealing with public money.

It is vitally important; that reasons given for removing Critical Care and other Regional Services from Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry must be informed by accurate volumes of inpatients taken from DOH Hospital Inpatient Statistics and Population Needs Assessment. All specialist and Regional services are planned, managed and delivered on a REGIONAL basis through the
Department of Health so there must be Regional Public Consultation before any permanent changes are made to any Regional Service including HDU Critical Care services in Daisy Hill Hospital.

The Dept. of Health DHH Pathfinder Project invested time and money ‘to improve unscheduled and acute medical services on the DHH site by Strengthening the High Dependency Unit’ – so it is not in the Southern Trust remit to undo this good work.

In summary - justification for the need for a High Dependency Unit in Daisy Hill could not be clearer. The reasons include the DOH officially recorded high case volumes in Daisy Hill Acute Hospital’s High Dependency Unit from 2014 -2020 and official backing from the Department of Health as shown in the Delivering Together Progress Report 2021.

Daisy Hill Acute Hospital High Dependency Unit must be reinstated immediately.

Please share to spread the news. Thank you

REFERENCES

Ref 1: Link
https://www.4ni.co.uk/northern-ireland-news/149485/new-unit-opens-at-daisy-hill-hospital

New Unit Opens At Daisy Hill Hospital 21/08/2012. ‘Health Minister Edwin Poots has officially opened a new High Dependency Unit at Daisy Hill Hospital’.

Ref 2: Delivering Together Progress Report 2021: Development Of The Daisy Hill Pathfinder 2021’, (page 106) (Department of Health for NI):

Ref 3: ‘Daisy Hill Hospital (DHH) Expert Panel – Chair’s Final Report to the Chief Executive (Southern Trust) - 21 February 2024’:

Ref 4: Background Factual Information/Statistics: Source Department of Health (DoH) Last updated: April 2021.
Specialist Services Daisy Hill Hospital Critical Care High Dependency Unit Inpatient Activity Numbers:
April 2014- March 2015: 2,558 inpatients
April 2015- March 2016: 3,066 inpatients
April 2016 - March 2017: 3,046 inpatients
April 2017 - March 2018: 3,165 inpatients
April 2018-March 2019: 3,232 inpatients
April 2019- March 2020: 3,642 inpatients

Critical Care Unit capacity across Northern Ireland is defined in two ways: level two (high dependency [HDU]) and level three (intensive care [ICU]). 2020
Please share this post. Thankyou. (Blog link >
https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/2025/08/12/regional-life-saving-critical-care-service-high-dependency-unit-removed-from-daisy-hill-by-southern-trust-without-regional-public-consultation/
How you can help Blog link>
https://savedaisyhillhospital.com/how-you-can-help/

20/07/2025

DAISY HILL NEEDS TIMELY EMERGENCY SURGERY!

This week the campaign run by the people of Fermanagh & South Tyrone to retain Emergency Surgery at the South West Acute Hospital has been headline news. The Health Minister Mr Mike Nesbitt MLA must be commended for listening to the people and ensuring correct procedure is followed by halting the current consultation.
The people of Newry, Mourne and Down also need access to TIMELY Emergency Surgery at Daisy Hill in Newry, and fairness and correct procedure must be adhered to here also as the people of Newry, Mourne and Down deserve the same dignity as the rest of the people living here.

Daisy Hill in Newry City is (or was) the ONLY designated Acute Hospital providing access to CONSULTANT LED TIMELY life saving Emergency Surgery and Emergency Medical Care for the population of the 2 constituencies of Newry/Armagh and South Down. Population 235,877 with 60,327 under 18’s (NISRA 2020).

Because of the large Population it serves and the large land mass size, Daisy Hill Acute Hospital, Newry was designated as one of a Network of only nine Acute Hospitals in NI, after a DoH Regional Consultation. All of these nine hospitals EDs are vital to ensure timely access to 24/7 Emergency Surgical and Emergency Medical Services WITHIN ONE HOUR, to the entire population of NI no matter where they choose to live.

However, the previous Southern Trust management unfairly broke up the Regional Network of time reliant Emergency Surgery and Emergency Medical Services by proposing in April 2023 to provide Emergency Surgery only in Craigavon Hospital. This meant then the removal of timely life saving Emergency Surgery, and its specialist clinical staff from Newry City’s Specialist Acute Hospital, Daisy Hill.

The people and Newry, Mourne and Down Council were against this proposal – but the Southern Trust still went ahead. The Permanent Secretary of DoH agreed to PERMANENTLY withdraw Emergency Surgery from Daisy Hill, and announced this on 8 January 2024, without a Regional Public Consultation and when the Executive /Assembly was not in place.

>The Dept. of Health recorded this in its Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24: ‘The permanent closure of the Emergency General Surgery service at the Daisy Hill Hospital site following a comprehensive consultation process in January 2024. A new service for all Southern patients is now fully operational in Craigavon Area Hospital with new inter-Trust and NIAS pathways to manage the demand from the Newry/Mourne population.”

Despite what is written in the Annual Report, there was NOT ‘comprehensive consultation’. Emergency surgery like heart and stroke is a Regional service and there must be a Regional consultation. There was no Regional Consultation.

The Southern Trust questionnaire asked : ‘Do you agree with the proposal to provide Emergency General Surgery Services on the Craigavon Area Hospital site 24 hours per day 7 days per week? IT DID NOT STATE THEY WOULD WITHDRAW TIMELY EMERGENCY SURGERY FROM DAISY HILL IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
This was a ‘local’ Trust ‘consultation’ and not appropriate for life saving Regional Services like Emergency Surgery. But in this local Trust ‘consultation’ - 94% of people said NO.

The Trust received 11,377 responses including a questionnaire completed by the ‘Save Our Emergency Surgery at Daisy Hill Hospital’ group, endorsed by 11,053 people, NOT IN AGREEMENT with the Southern Trust proposal.

>REGIONAL SERVICES MUST BE PLANNED, MANAGED AND DELIVERED ON A REGIONAL BASIS.

The point must be made again -Emergency surgery like heart and stroke is a Regional service and there must be a REGIONAL consultation.

The Dept. of Health’s own Annual Report, writes that under the principles of Health and Wellbeing 2026: Delivering Together : “This will empower local providers and communities to plan integrated continuous care based on the needs of their population, with specialised and regional services planned, managed and delivered ON A REGIONAL BASIS.”(DoH Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 pg7)

This matter is not closed for the people of Newry, Mourne and Down, just like the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone asking for fair play, equality and campaigning to retain Emergency Surgery in South West Hospital, they also need access to Emergency Surgery at Daisy Hill in Newry because it saves lives and we deserve the same dignity as the rest of the people living here.

The people of Newry Mourne and Down ask for fairness from the current Health Minster and Department of Health. A proper REGIONAL Consultation is needed. This will ensure correct procedure is followed and will properly address the issue of access to Emergency Surgery across the whole network of 9 acute hospitals including Daisy Hill Acute Hospital in Newry , Mourne and Down and South West acute in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

TIMELY Emergency Surgery saves lives!

Please share and continue to keep the campaign alive.

ENDS

REFERENCES/BACKGROUND
> Dept. of Health Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 for year end 31 March 2024 (p 10 pdf)
> Dept. of Health Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (p 7 pdf)
>Provision of Emergency General Surgery In The Southern Health And Social Care Trust - Public Consultation Feedback Report September 2023

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http://www.savedaisyhillhospital.com/

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