Sinn Féin MLA Liz Kimmins has said that the Southern Trust have let down Daisy Hill and the community it serves with their management of the Hospital.
Speaking after the Southern Trust board meeting today the Newry and Armagh MLA said:
“Today’s announcement that stroke services will now be diverted to Craigavon hospital will be a huge blow as Daisy Hill continues to be allowed to lurch from crisis to crisis.
“Staff and the wider community feel that no one in the senior management of the trust is championing Daisy Hill.
“An unprecedented number of consultants have left Daisy Hill in recent months which has left the Hospital in a critical situation.
“The Trust must find urgent solutions to these issues and tackle the serious difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.
“Despite recent positive news of investment into the infrastructure of the Hospital, the poor management by the trust has meant we are once again in a very difficult situation with Daisy Hill.
“My colleague Conor Murphy MLA has today raised this, and the issue of GP cover in South Armagh with head of the civil service, Jane Brady and has sought an urgent meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health.
“Sinn Féin is committed to protecting and supporting the services at Daisy Hill and we will work together with everyone to accomplish this.
“We need an Executive formed now so that all parties can come together with locally elected ministers to deliver more investment into our health service to begin to tackle the crises it is facing.”
CRÍOCH/ENDS
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