A meeting between a Sinn Fein delegation and members of the Southern Trust and Southern Local Commissioning Group has been described as “worthwhile timely and constructive.” Newry and Armagh MP Conor Murphy made the comments after he along with MLAs Mickey Brady, Cathal Boylan and Catriona Ruane as well as Newry councillor Charlie Casey met the Trust and the Commissioning Group representatives in Daisy Hill Hospital on Friday. The meeting was held in order to hear the Trust’s response to the 99 recommendations made in John Compton’s Transforming Your Care Report and to allow local representatives to give their views on any upcoming changes to services. Mr Murphy said that the meeting allowed him and his colleagues a chance to raise a number of concerns. “The meeting was very useful in terms of enabling those present to put Sinn Fein’s thoughts on the future provision of health care in the area to both the Southern Trust and the Southern Local Commissioning Group,” he said. “My colleagues and I raised many issues regarding the provision of Homecare, domiciliary care, care in the community, cross border health care provision, the future of Daisy Hill hospital and the implementation of the Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities among other pressing issues. I hope that the Trust will take on board the issues raised and bear them in mind when formulating their official response to the recommendations contained in the Compton Report.” MLA Micky Brady described the outcome of the meeting as “positive.” This was a positive engagement for all present and I was very pleased to learn during the course of the discussion that all Clinical Positions in Daisy Hill Hospital are currently filled,” he said. “This bodes well for the future of our hospital and further demonstrates the importance of the hospital locally.
Newry Democrat
12th June 2012
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