Daisy Hill Hospital: Plans to temporarily suspend birthing services

The loss, or potential loss, of any service from any of our hospitals in Northern Ireland is always a contentious issue.

You just have to look at recent wranglings over emergency general surgery within the Northern Trust.

And it’s an argument the Southern Trust will remember well as the Department of Health (DoH) permanently removed emergency general surgery from Daisy Hill in January 2024.

The potential loss of its maternity services will undoubtably raise tensions further, both politically and among the community.

While the department is very clear that this is not a done deal and the health minister is appealing to the rest of Northern Ireland to help, it is hard to see where that help will come from.

This is a workforce planning issue, which is the responsibility of the department, and the Southern Trust has been trying, and failing, to retain and recruit consultants for months.

Those who use Daisy Hill will be acutely aware that, in July 2023, maternity services were permanently suspended at Causeway Hospital and consolidated at Antrim Area Hospital and may fear that the Southern Trust will follow suit.

But not if the new health minister can help it.