Inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry will cease temporarily from 23 November, according to BBC News. The Southern Health Trust board has voted to relocate maternity care to Craigavon Hospital after exhausting recruitment efforts to fill consultant obstetrician vacancies at both sites.
The decision has triggered significant opposition from residents across Newry, South Down and South Armagh, and a legal challenge is underway. A 40-year-old pregnant woman plans to lodge judicial review papers at the High Court to attempt to force the trust to delay implementation of the consolidation plan.
The staffing crisis at Daisy Hill reflects a broader challenge. The trust requires eight substantive consultant obstetricians to operate safely across both hospitals. From the end of November, it will have only two permanent consultants plus three locum staff. According to the Irish News, the trust has offered as much as £3,000 for a 24-hour shift while attempting to recruit obstetricians nationally and internationally, without success.
The trust said up to five additional permanent consultant obstetricians are needed for a safe, sustainable service at Daisy Hill. Staff are contacting women due to give birth there on or after 23 November to inform them of the change.
Why is the consolidation happening?
The trust says it cannot continue to safely provide inpatient maternity care at both hospitals simultaneously. Steve Spoerry, Chief Executive of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, described the temporary suspension as a "sad day" but stressed there was no alternative.
"We cannot continue to safely provide inpatient maternity care at both hospitals,"Spoerry said. He added that the trust will continue antenatal and postnatal services at Daisy Hill and work to build a viable future for the hospital as a general facility serving its population.
How will the transition affect pregnant women?
The consolidation is expected to result in approximately 1,700 additional births at Craigavon Hospital annually. The trust has stated that Craigavon is prepared to manage this increase in demand. A centralised telephone triage service staffed by midwives will determine the most appropriate location for each woman to give birth. Every woman will have a designated midwife when they register for birth, and the ambulance service will triage women to Craigavon or other facilities as appropriate.
Dr Beverly Adams, Divisional Medical Director for Maternity and Women's Services, explained the rationale for the triage system.
"If they're of a higher risk or there's a concern about being in labour then advising them to attend Craigavon instead is the right thing to do,"she said. She acknowledged that women in more rural areas, particularly South Down and South Armagh, have already been advised in some cases to give birth at Craigavon or the Royal Victoria Hospital.
"We're used to planning around that and advising those women in that regard."
What is the history of staffing problems at Daisy Hill?
This is not the first time Daisy Hill's maternity service has faced disruption due to staffing shortages. In June 2026, a temporary suspension was lifted after the trust secured medical cover, though it said staffing challenges continued. The current crisis represents an escalation of longstanding recruitment difficulties that have plagued the service.
What happens next?
The transfer of maternity services is scheduled to take effect on Monday, 23 November 2026. The trust says recruitment efforts will continue and that restoration of services at Daisy Hill depends on securing enough clinical expertise. While the move has been described as temporary, there is currently no timeframe for when inpatient maternity services will resume at Daisy Hill. The trust's chief executive has indicated that the option of some women using Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda is being explored as part of longer-term planning.
