Following the Health Ministers recent announcement on Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry becoming an Elective Overnight Stay Centre there is now confusion regarding the current state of Emergency General Surgery provision at the hospital.
Health Minister Robin Swann announced that Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry will be an Elective Overnight Stay Centre, caring for patients who require at least one night in hospital after surgery.
Elective Overnight Stay Centres are being established as part of the reorganisation of general surgery services. The Mater Hospital in Belfast was announced as the first of these new facilities in June. Daisy Hill Hospital has now been designated as the second.
However the BBC reported that it understood that Emergency General Surgery may be removed from the site as a result.
According to the Department of Health no decision has been made on this:
“Contrary to a report by the BBC today, no decision has been announced on the future of emergency general surgery at Daisy Hill Hospital. Nor has any decision been taken.
Today’s announcement is about establishing an Elective Overnight Stay Centre at Daisy Hill.”
Elective Overnight Stay Centres are part of a wider health care reform initiative, involving dedicated hubs for planned surgeries and procedures. The aim is to enhance the quality and consistency of care, improve productivity and help bring down waiting lists.
As part of this reconfiguration, Regional Day Procedure Centres have been established at Lagan Valley Hospital in Lisburn and Omagh Hospital.
The Minister detailed today’s decision on Daisy Hill Hospital in a speech to the Northern Ireland Confederation for Health and Social Care (NICON) annual conference and in a Written Assembly Statement.
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