Trust to continue with pilot scheme

The news came following a meeting between Chief Executive Mairead McAlinden and Angela McVeigh the Trust’s Director of Older People and Primary Care with Sinn Fein representatives Mickey Brady MLA and Cllr Tommy O’Connor to update them on key health and care issues.

Mrs McVeigh explained recent changes made by the Trust to address its overspend in community care.

She said: “The Southern Trust recently decided that during the month of July, all new domiciliary care referrals should be offered to the independent sector in the first instance. We have now reviewed the impact of this change and can advise that the changes introduced in July have had no impact on Trust domiciliary care workers, ie loss of hours or work or on the clients receiving domiciliary care. In view of this, we plan to continue to operate this pilot during the month of August and to review the referral processes again at the end of August.”

They also discussed developments in Daisy Hill hospital.