UNISON questions the Southern Trust about future services in Daisy Hill Hospital

UNISON, the largest health union in the Southern Trust, outlines their major concerns at the Southern Trust Board meeting today regarding the crisis in services in Daisy Hill Hospital.

Today, Thursday 25th May 2023 a delegation from UNISON, the health union and the largest union in the Southern Trust, addressed the Southern Trust Board at it’s meeting in Newry.

UNISON Orchard Branch Secretary, Deborah Yapicioz, told the Trust Board that there are serious issues with staff morale across the Daisy Hill site. Staff feel let down by management and are struggling with motivation. She raised the concerns of UNISON regarding the ongoing struggles with recruitment and retention of staff and questioned the Trust Board as to what has been done and what will be done to address the serious staffing issues the hospital is facing.

UNISON had been campaigning for several years to protect and strengthen the services in Daisy Hill – our hospital which serves the needs of our community. We have stressed that with the recent loss of doctors at the site, our members, including nurses, nursing assistants, porters, cleaners, catering, admin and others, need a clear picture of what is going on and what services are impacted. Also, what the Trust intends to do. We have been concerned about the lack of openness from Management throughout the consultation process on the removal of Emergency General Surgery from Daisy Hill and the evidence we have that the hospital is being run down.

UNISON Newry & Mourne Branch Secretary, Rachel Killen, stated that “we have recently responded to the public consultation about the permanent removal of emergency surgery from Daisy Hill. Our members and our community do not support this decision, and this has been demonstrated by the number of public meetings and demonstrations held to protest against this change. The Trust must listen to staff and the local people and reverse this decision urgently.

UNISON Regional Organiser, Nuala Conlon, said “UNISON will continue to defend the interests of our members working in Daisy Hill, protecting their jobs and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the local community, which includes our members, to ensure their voices are heard.