Daisy Hill Hospital: Mother face 'nightmare' over maternity closure

Mothers waiting to give birth at Daisy Hill have described Monday's announcement that maternity services may be suspended at the hospital, as "a kick in the teeth".

It was reported that no babies will be delivered at the Newry hospital if plans for a temporary suspension of services go ahead amid "significant" workforce pressures.

The Southern Trust has not been able to recruit consultant obstetricians to fill vacancies and it is preparing to temporarily move inpatient maternity services to Craigavon Area Hospital.

While Health Minister Robbie Butler said the move is not final, it is a serious problem for those expecting - like Carol McGahon who, at 30 weeks pregnant, described the move as "a nightmare".

Living in Kilkeel she told BBC News NI that the change of location for her, which is around 45 minutes away, means "more travelling, more time off work and a bit more anxiety-inducing".

"It's a bit of a kick in the teeth for such a lovely hospital because I have enjoyed coming here. All the staff are lovely, the maternity unit is fab, so I'll be sad to see that happen."

She said the time it will take for her to get to Craigavon Area Hospital will nearly double.

"I had a few scans there and it's like an hour and a half away," she said.

"We had to circle parking for like 40 minutes before we even got in.This is actually a bit of a nightmare. This is going to change things."

Regarding the location of Daisy Hill she said: "It's bad even travelling that much, if in an emergency, and I had complications with my other delivery, so I'd be a bit fearful of having to travel that far."

Like her mother before her, Eimear McVerry was hoping to give birth at Daisy Hill.

Some 28 weeks pregnant and just home from Australia, she called the move "bit inconvenient" due to the fact she was only 15 minutes down the road from Daisy Hill.

"It's a bit disappointing, and I had been happy so far, but this is now the first that I have heard of it.

"It's kind of just shocking really. You get used to the staff and all you're seeing and then go to a completely new place you know nothing about," she said.

Her mother Jolene said the hospital "has been here a lifetime, everybody you know had their kids here".

"It is just so disappointing to know that you have to go to Craigavon, which is quite a distance", she said, "especially for mums going into labour or if they go into unexpected labour, premature labour or anything like that."

Claire Boyle is expecting a third child and her first two were born in Daisy Hill.

"I don't know where this leaves me. Craigavon is crazy far from me now, so it's a bit of a disaster, not good to hear."

Her first reaction to hearing the news was "probably panic", she said, "because I had such good experiences with my first two and there's great staff.

"I live in Ballynahinch direction, I have other options but not great options. Daisy Hill would be my best option," she added.

This isn't the first time Daisy Hill has had issues and been forced to close part of its services.

In 2022 emergency general surgery was forced to be temporarily withdrawn due to, what the trust said was an "ongoing recruitment challenge". It to re-allocated services to Craigavon. It lost the surgery permanently in January 2024.

In June 2023 changes to services saw a reduction in more than 100 beds as well as losing its stroke and some inpatient services.

BBC News NI understands that Daisy Hill Hospital's maternity unit has become reliant on locum and temporary staff.

The trust said it "cannot run a safe maternity service without the required medical cover and unfortunately that is a position that the trust is having to plan for at this moment in time".

It is thought ante and postnatal clinics will continue in Newry but alternative arrangements will be made for women due to have their babies in Daisy Hill from November.

Trust chief executive Steve Spoerry said the health minister had asked the wider Northern Ireland health system to explore what support might be available to help maintain the service in Newry in the longer term.

In the last year, 4,481 babies were born within the Southern Trust's two maternity services: 1,713 at Daisy Hill Hospital and 2,768 at Craigavon Area Hospital.

Clodagh Corrigan, a Daisy Hill consultant who is deputy chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, said "there is a major workforce crisis across many of our specialities in Northern Ireland" and it services have "reached a crunch-point.

"There has been a complete failure of workforce planning by the department of health over over many, many years," said Corrigan, citing South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen and Causeway Hospital in Coleraine as a examples of other facilities experiencing difficulties.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme , Corrigan said sustained warnings from the health sector "have not been listened to".

She said "we see staff leaving in their droves to cross the border, which is not far from Daisy Hill, to work in the Republic, where they get better terms and conditions, better pay, better service to give and a much nicer work-life balance".

The Director of the Royal College of Midwives in Northern Ireland, Dr Dale Spence, said: "When maternity units like Daisy Hill are forced to suspend services because there aren't enough staff, it should ring alarm bells.

"Unless we tackle the urgent workforce crisis, services will continue to be disrupted, putting further strain on an already stretched midwifery and obstetric workforce," he added.

He added that the move only adds pressure "on the workforce at Craigavon".

Dr Spence added that maternity services must be "enhanced for the women of south Armagh, Newry and the rural areas surrounding" it.

Anyone who is concerned should contact their midwife first or call the dedicated maternity information line on 028 3756 1325 which will be open between 14:00 BST and 17:00 on Monday to Friday.

No babies to be born at Daisy Hill Hospital in service suspension plan

Emergency general surgery moves from Daisy Hill

No more births to take place at Causeway Hospital