Member's statement: Daisy Hill Hospital: Maternity Services
Member's statement by Mr Justin McNulty on .
- MLA
- Mr Justin McNulty
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 6 October 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Daisy Hill Hospital: Maternity Services
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5776538
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I rise to announce a public rally in Hill Street, Newry, at 2.30 pm on Sunday 25 October to save maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital. I speak for midwives, maternity teams, health workers and, most importantly, the mothers and families of Newry, south Armagh and south Down. I speak because something fundamental is at stake. I speak because the maternity service at Daisy Hill Hospital is under threat. I say clearly that the women and families of our border region deserve safe, accessible maternity care close to home. The Southern Health and Social Care Trust has confirmed that it faces serious workforce pressures in the maternity service at Daisy Hill Hospital following consultant obstetrician retirements and resignations. The trust has said that, unless sufficient staff can be secured, it may have to temporarily consolidate births and inpatient maternity care at Craigavon Area Hospital within the next six to eight weeks. Let us be absolutely clear about what that means. It is not simply about a hospital building. It is not about where mothers give birth. It is about where families go when pregnancy becomes complicated. It is about emergency care. It is about antenatal and postnatal services. It is about midwives, doctors and other maternity staff who have built a remarkable service that families across the region rely on. It is about whether people living in our part of the North can continue to have access to essential healthcare close to their community.
The trust has said that the overriding priority is the safety of women and babies. We agree. Safety must come first, but safety cannot simply be used as a reason to move a service. If the proposed alternative is to transfer all births and inpatient maternity care to Craigavon Area Hospital, including up to 1,900 births a year, how can patient safety be claimed as the justifying rationale? Where is the detailed capacity assessment? What additional staffing would Craigavon require? What about all the jobs that are relied on in Daisy Hill Hospital? Where will they go? Will people be forced to stay quiet, as is the case now? Will the unions not be backing people to come out and talk honestly and openly about what is happening and about their fears for the future, including for mothers who might be forced to have their babies on the side of the road between Newry and Craigavon? Mothers are scared. Staff are scared. We have seen our First Ministers in Drumcree, which is a very important issue, but our First Ministers are not being upfront about maternity services in Daisy Hill Hospital. Why are they not shouting about it? Why are the Executive not taking the lead to protect maternity services at our hospital in Newry? Why is that not happening? Why are they not visible? Why are they not vocal in protecting our maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital? It is not good enough.
488 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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