Daisy Hill Emergency department "untenable" with staff shortages

By PA REPORTER

The emergency department at Newry's Daisy Hill Hospital is "untenable" because of a chronic shortage of consultants, a union said.

The centre is eight staff down and using locum doctors as cover according to NIPSA representative Brian Smyth.

Around 52,000 patients attended in the past year.

Mr Smyth said: "At the moment, the actual number of consultants in post is 1.8 and the service is only being maintained by using locums to fill the gaps.

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust say that this is untenable, especially with the summer holidays approaching."

A statement from the trust said, despite numerous recruitment efforts over the past two years, nationally and internationally, there continued to be a shortage of permanent senior medical staff.

It said the service was supported mainly by locum medical staff and the continuing goodwill of clinical staff across the trust.

The statement said: "The service currently remains vulnerable to the short-notice withdrawal of senior medical cover, particularly during the summer months when there is a less secure supply of locum consultants.

"Therefore, if there is any risk to patient safety due to lack of senior medical cover at night, the emergency department will temporarily suspend the service until suitable medical cover becomes available.

"This would be a last resort, and the trust is making every effort to avoid any reduction in hours in the short-term."