A campaign group concerned about staffing and service issues at Newry's Daisy Hill Hospital organized a public meeting, which was attended by hundreds of people.
Last week, it lost its stroke service, and because of staff shortages, some inpatient services were described as "at risk.".
The Daisy Hill Emergency Surgery SOS group had originally planned to hold a committee meeting on Wednesday.
It usually draws 20 to 30 people, but after the news of the previous week, attendance was easily ten times higher.
At least 20 people had to wait in an adjacent corridor despite efforts to fit everyone in a function room at The Bank complex in the city.
Health professionals, elected officials, and members of the general public who were interested in learning more about the campaign group's tactics for obtaining commitments from the Southern Health Trust that would protect hospital services were present.
Increased political involvement, increased public protests and rallies, and pressure on the trust to address persistent problems are all part of the strategy.
The meeting, according to Francis Gallagher of Daisy Hill Emergency Surgery SOS, was about rallying public support.
We have a long-term plan, a five-year plan, and a strategy, he said, asking the audience to support it.
"Overall, because we are very concerned, this is about mobilizing the people of the entire area. ".
Mickey Brady, a Sinn Féin member of parliament for Newry and Armagh, and Justin McNulty, a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), were also present.
The trust, according to Mr. Brady, must offer stability. He claimed that they appeared to "lurch from crisis to crisis.".
"The trust needs to put its house in order. We have met with the trust on numerous occasions, during which we have heard various things.
Daisy Hill had received a bad approach, but Mr. Brady insisted that it wouldn't close.
We want to make sure Daisy Hill doesn't get demoted, he said.
Dr. Maria O'Kane, chief executive officer of the Southern Trust, said in a statement: "This is a very difficult time for staff, but we are encouraged by their enthusiasm to work with us to modernize and improve services for patients. ".
There were many Daisy Hill employees present at the meeting, including Lydia Teague, Brian McKeown, and Sharon Stewart.
The news that the hospital would be drastically reduced and that all of our jobs would be at risk was absolutely shocking, according to Mr. McKeown, who works on the stroke rehab ward.
Staff members are still looking for information, according to Ms. Stewart.
Since I started working in stroke rehabilitation in 1999, hearing the most recent information has been a complete shock. Simply trying to understand what's going on. ".
They claim that the trust is undergoing changes, and Ms. Teague stated: "We are concerned about the effect this will have on the Newry and Mourne region. ".
Among the members of the public who attended the meeting out of concern for hospital services, including stroke services, were Sheree and Tracey Byrne.
Sheree Byrne stated, "All we want to know is what's happening. "We believe that we have been misled.
"At the most recent meeting, it was promised that this wouldn't occur. Thus, it appears that what was said has been retracted. ".
Afraid as well is Tracey Byrne. It's very alarming. This is a sizable town, and the people in Crossmaglen, Kilkeel, and Warrenpoint, among other nearby communities, are numerous. ".
Dr. O'Kane made the following comments in her statement: "From late July we will have limited substantive medical consultants working at Daisy Hill and this could potentially impact the number of other doctors we are allocated in August.
"In order to prepare for a more long-term solution, our first priority is to stabilize staffing for the summer months.
The trust was working to develop its plans, she said, "as we have received more data and considered feedback from our own trust staff and regional health and social care colleagues.".
"With these plans, we aim to develop more same-day emergency care and improve community services to better ensure that people who don't need to be in the hospital can be supported appropriately at home," she continued.
"Instead of inpatient medical admissions, we will provide alternatives. ".
In order to mitigate immediate patient safety concerns and maintain on-site acute medical service provision, Dr. O'Kane said they had requested regional support with senior medical cover to stabilize staffing.
This would also assist us in fulfilling the educational requirements necessary to support junior doctors, she said.
In order to ensure that local hospitals in Northern Ireland can continue to play a significant role in the network of regional acute hospitals, we have also asked for a project to address the ongoing workforce challenges they face.
. "
