Dear Parent/Guardian,
You will be aware from campaigns that the Down Community Health Committee believes that it is essential that the entire population of the East Down area should have 24-hour access, 7 days a week to an emergency department service at the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick.
You will know from first-hand experience that the Downe Hospital serves a large rural community; that this area suffers as a consequence of poor infrastructure; that there is an unacceptably poor Ambulance Service currently offered in this area as demonstrated by the poor response times and that Urgent and Emergency Care provision is skewed as a consequence of the disproportionate concentration of services in the Belfast area.
Comprehensive consultation documents can be found on the Department of Health website.
The Department of Health consultation on the future of Urgent and Emergency Care concludes on
1st July 2022. You can email your response to UECS@health-ni.gov.uk
I would encourage you to make a response as you need to protect your local hospital services.
Yours sincerely,
Ms McLaughlin.
