Debate contribution: Daisy Hill Hospital: Inpatient Maternity Services
Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on .
- MLA
- Mr Robbie Butler
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 21 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Ministerial Statement
- Heading
- Daisy Hill Hospital: Inpatient Maternity Services
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5742381
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I wish to update the Assembly on an emerging and serious workforce challenge that is affecting inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital. By now, Members may have seen the statement that the Southern Health and Social Care Trust issued earlier this afternoon. I will be clear from the outset about the current position: maternity services at Daisy Hill continue to operate, and there is no immediate change to the care arrangements for expectant mothers. Women should continue to attend the unit and all planned appointments unless they are contacted directly by the Southern Trust and advised otherwise. No final decision has been taken to relocate inpatient maternity services from Daisy Hill. The consultant workforce position, however, has become increasingly fragile, and, unless sufficient additional medical cover can be secured, the Southern Trust may need to introduce a temporary contingency arrangement. I recognise that that news will cause expectant mothers and their families, staff and the wider community understandable concern. That is why I considered it important to be open in informing the Assembly about the position, the steps being taken to address it and the contingency arrangements that are being examined. Daisy Hill requires a minimum of eight consultant obstetricians to maintain a safe and sustainable rota, including the necessary on-call cover. Prior to the present difficulties, the unit was supported by five substantive consultants and three locum consultants. A combination of consultant retirements and resignations has weakened the workforce position. Most immediately, two substantive consultants have resigned and are serving their notice. At the same time, a number of absences in the consultant team at Craigavon Area Hospital mean that the trust's normal contingency arrangements cannot currently provide the level of support that is required at Daisy Hill. The immediate issue relates specifically to the consultant obstetric workforce. The trust had made significant progress on strengthening the midwifery workforce at Daisy Hill, reducing the number of full-time vacancies from more than 25 in May 2024 to fewer than three by May of this year. The Southern Trust has repeatedly undertaken recruitment exercises for substantive and locum consultant obstetricians. It has advertised nationally and internationally, engaged specialist agencies and explored enhanced locum rates and alternative recruitment models. Despite those efforts, it has not yet secured the required number of additional consultants. As Minister, I have asked the wider health and social care (HSC) system to explore what support can be provided in order to help maintain inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill. Other trusts have been asked whether consultant support can be made available, and discussions have also taken place with health partners in the Republic of Ireland. Those discussions continue. All avenues remain under active consideration, although I must be candid with the Assembly and say that they have not yet produced sufficient additional cover. I have also approved the development of a national recruitment campaign covering obstetrics, gynaecology and neonatology.
That campaign is at an advanced stage of planning and is intended to promote Northern Ireland’s health service as an attractive place to work for specialist clinicians. My immediate objective is to maintain safe inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill. At the same time, it would not be responsible to wait until the consultant rota becomes unsustainable before developing an alternative. The Southern Trust is therefore preparing a temporary contingency plan under which all births and inpatient maternity care may, for a period, need to be consolidated at Craigavon Area Hospital. Whilst no exact dates are yet confirmed, if the current position does not change, the alternative arrangements may be required by early November. I must stress to Members that this is all an emerging picture, and no plan has yet been finalised or approved by my Department. Before any decision on change, even if only temporary, is taken, proper clinical and operational scrutiny must be undergone. I have made it clear that any contingency plan must demonstrate how women and babies will be cared for safely; how sufficient capacity will be created at Craigavon; how emergency presentations will be managed; how appropriate obstetric support will be maintained for the emergency department at Daisy Hill; what effect there may be on gynaecology, theatre and other services; and what travel and transport implications will arise for women and families. It must also set out precisely which antenatal, postnatal and other maternity services would continue to be provided at Daisy Hill; how women would be supported before and after birth; and the conditions that would have to be met to restore inpatient maternity care and births to the Daisy Hill site. If a temporary contingency becomes unavoidable, it will be subject to formal and continuing oversight by my Department. As Minister, I wish to make it clear that, under those circumstances, I would not expect it to become a permanent change by default. In the past year, 1,713 babies were born at Daisy Hill and 2,768 were born at Craigavon. Together, those services account for around 23% of births across Northern Ireland. Any temporary change would therefore require careful planning, adequate staffing and clear communication with every woman affected. The trust has begun engagement with expectant mothers, staff, trade unions and elected representatives. Women under the care of the Daisy Hill maternity team will receive information directly and will be able to discuss their individual circumstances with their midwife or clinical team. I expect that communication to be timely, accurate and sensitive. If any colleagues from across the Assembly learn of reports to the contrary, I ask them to bring that to my attention. Women should not have to rely on ongoing media reports or political speculation to understand where and how their care will be provided. I visited Daisy Hill Hospital shortly after taking up office and saw at first hand the commitment of its amazing staff. I recognise the pressure that this uncertainty will place upon them, and I expect the trust to engage fully with staff and their representatives as its plans develop. I understand why any disruption at Daisy Hill may give rise to concerns about the hospital’s future, but I need to be clear: Daisy Hill is and will remain a vital part of our hospital network. It is deeply valued by the population whom it serves. Recent investment in elective services at the hospital demonstrates its continuing and important role in delivering care both locally and across the region. My objective is to restore and sustain consultant-led inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill if a temporary contingency becomes necessary. I have made it clear that I expect no stone to be left unturned on recruitment and efforts to secure additional workforce support. That must continue alongside the development of any contingency plan. This is a serious position, but the necessary clinical and operational assessment must now be completed before any decision is taken. Safety must remain the overriding consideration, but safety must not be used as a substitute for exhausting every reasonable option to sustain the service. I will ensure that Members, staff, the local community and, above all, expectant mothers are kept informed as the position develops. Once the contingency plan has been fully scrutinised, further updates will be provided by both the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and my Department. My priority is to protect safe care for women and babies and to do everything reasonably possible to secure the future of inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill.
I thank the Member for his question. His tone is understandable, so I will not rebuke him for that. However, we are dealing with a very serious issue, and I have laid out the facts as to why we are in the position. It is not part of a transformation piece or a reconfiguration. Unfortunately, it is a reaction to a local staffing pressure. Unfortunately, as I have learned over the last four weeks, obstetrics is not just under pressure in Northern Ireland; obstetrics across the UK has been under pressure. On 11 August, the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital had to take temporary measures. However, I must be absolutely unequivocal: maternity in Daisy Hill Hospital is a priority for the Department of Health. We will work at pace every day to find a solution, but safety must be paramount for the pregnant women who have been given notice and may need other information by November. I accept what has been said, but we have to deal with the reality. There is a regional picture that is very difficult to deal with, but it begs questions about how we configure our services to make them sustainable in the long term.
Thank you for your question. If I could rustle up a consultant obstetrician, I absolutely would. Money has been no object; every step has been taken to recruit, including attractive offers. The conversations have not fully closed down at this point: no stone will be left unturned, and every option will be examined to avoid the temporary measures. I do not disagree with the Member: if we allow a temporary measure to exist, sometimes it is very hard to recover from that. Part of my job is to make working across the hospital network in Northern Ireland attractive to those in Northern Ireland, on this island, across the UK and even further afield. The quality of delivery is the primary concern, but there is an absolute commitment from me that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that those services remain in place in the longer term.
1,586 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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