Daisy Hill Maternity Services: When Pressure on Hospitals Causes Avoidable Harm

The birth of a child should be one of the happiest moments in a family’s life. Sadly, for some families, mistakes made during pregnancy, labour or delivery can leave a mother or baby with injuries that last a lifetime.

This issue is currently in the media spotlight following the Southern Health and Social Care Trust’s announcement on 21 September 2026 that inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry are to be temporarily suspended within the next six to eight weeks, with all births moving to Craigavon Area Hospital. For the thousands of families across Newry, Mourne and South Armagh who rely on Daisy Hill, the news has raised serious questions about the safety of maternity care in the region.

Maternity Services Under Pressure

The Trust has attributed the decision to "a number of consultant obstetrician retirements and resignations”, an inability to recruit replacements, and a reliance on locum and temporary staff. It has said plainly that it “cannot run a safe maternity service without the required medical cover”.

Last year, 1,713 babies were born at Daisy Hill and 2,768 at Craigavon. Moving Daisy Hill’s births would increase deliveries at Craigavon by more than 60%, and the Trust’s interim Chief Executive has acknowledged there will be “knock-on effects”. Campaigners have called on the Trust to publish evidence that Craigavon can cope safely.

Staffing pressures are not new, and when maternity units are stretched, the risk of something going wrong increases. Whatever the pressures on the health service, mothers and babies are entitled to safe care.

Have You or Your Baby Suffered an Avoidable Injury?

Obstetric claims are among the most common medical negligence claims in Northern Ireland. We regularly act for families where an injury has been caused by:

• Delays in assessment or admission when a woman presents in labour or with reduced foetal movements;
• Inadequate monitoring of the baby's heart rate during labour, or a failure to act on an abnormal trace;
• Delays in performing an emergency Caesarean section or instrumental delivery;
• A failure to recognise and treat conditions such as pre-eclampsia, sepsis or post-partum haemorrhage;
• Unsafe or delayed transfers between hospitals;
• Poor communication or handover between midwives, doctors and teams.

These failings can lead to serious injuries such as brain injury from oxygen deprivation (hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy), cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy and other shoulder injuries, and, for mothers, severe perineal tears, injuries from surgery or complications that were not identified in time.

Can I Still Claim if the Hospital Was Short-Staffed?

Yes, potentially. Staffing shortages do not reduce the standard of care that mothers and babies are entitled to expect. Health and Social Care Trusts continue to owe a duty of care to every patient, and a Trust may be responsible where its staffing, organisation of services or transfer arrangements are unsafe.

To bring a claim, it must be shown that the care fell below an acceptable standard and that this caused avoidable injury.

How P.A. Duffy & Co Can Help

At P.A. Duffy & Co Solicitors, our specialist Medical Negligence team has extensive experience of acting for mothers and families in birth injury claims across Northern Ireland.

To speak with a member of our team, call us on 028 8772 2102 or email enquiries@paduffy.com

*This information is intended for general guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice specific to your circumstances.