McNulty Tells Trust Board Maternity Services at Daisy Hill Must be Fully Supported

SDLP Justin McNulty MLA spoke in a 26 March 2026 Southern Health and Social Care Trust Board meeting about the importance of maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital.

With the context of the birth rates here being higher in the Southern Trust than anywhere else in the North, Mr McNulty highlighted the urgent need for the Trust to commit to supporting the full suite of maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital with all necessary resources, both personnel and otherwise. McNulty also emphasised the need for the Trust to address staff recruitment and retention challenges within maternity wards to ensure the best level of care possible for mothers and babies.

Mr McNulty stated:

“Not providing sufficient staffing levels is unfair for both midwives and their patients, causing stress and burnout and potentially risking safety. Maternity teams deserve a workplace that supports them. A fully resourced environment is essential for staff retention and patient safety, and can only be supported through sufficient levels of staffing.

“We all know and feel in our hearts that midwives have extraordinary experience, knowledge, and compassion. Essential, invaluable traits that offer invaluable and demonstrable benefits for mothers and babies. Midwives are able to provide a continuity of care including postnatal care for patients with relationships built on trust, familiarity, and expertise. Midwives are also in a unique position to be able to identify the signs of abusive behaviour, which the women in their care may be experiencing. We cannot afford to lose the vital services midwives offer through insufficient staffing or recruitment.”

McNulty closed by adding:

“I ask the Trust to demonstrate how they have worked to both promote recruitment of midwives and maternity staff, as well as outline how they are working to improve workplace culture to best retain staff and ensure an enhancement of the supportive environment at Daisy Hill Hospital. From interactions I have had with maternity teams at Daisy Hill, I have only got a sense of an incredible team ethic and pride. What investments, policies, and practices are in place and are being considered by the Trust to ensure the maternity ward remains strong and robust and able to care for all mothers who walk through the door?”

ENDS