Trust ends consultation on emergency surgery at Swah

Emergency general surgery at the South West Acute Hospital was halted in December 2022

The Western Health Trust has announced it is closing public consultation on the permanent removal of emergency general surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (Swah) in Enniskillen.

In July, the trust had agreed to "pause and reconsider" the consultation.

After a meeting of the trust's board on Tuesday it was decided the consultation would not recommence.

In a statement, the trust said it would "now work with all relevant stakeholders to develop a clear vision for health and social care provision in Fermanagh and West Tyrone, including Swah as an integral part of how we serve this community".

It confirmed that emergency general surgery at the hospital would remain suspended while this was taking place.

Emergency general surgery was temporarily suspended at the hospital in December 2022, with some patients from Fermanagh and Tyrone having to travel to Londonderry, an hour and a half's drive away.

On 3 July the Western Trust's board agreed to consult on the permanent removal of the service from Swah. That was paused two weeks later at the request of Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.

In its statement on Tuesday, the trust's chief executive Neil Guckian said: "Since pausing the public consultation, we have reflected on what we have heard and it is important that I acknowledge the tremendous depth of feeling and concerns raised by people who have written to us and spoken to us directly.

"As chief executive, I accept that there were flaws in our planned process.

"The previous process from the public's perspective felt rushed and we should have spent more time engaging with the local community before the launch of the consultation process."

He added: "We are steadfast in our commitment to the long-term sustainability and development of South West Acute Hospital (Swah) as a vital and successful hospital within the HSC regional network of hospitals."

'Little to alleviate anxieties'

Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Pat Cullen of Sinn Féin welcomed the trust's decision to end the consultation.

However, she said the announcement "does little to alleviate the anxieties of people in Fermanagh and South Tyrone".

"The lack of timescales for a final vision plan adds to the growing concerns," she said.

"People in Fermanagh and West Tyrone are left with no reassurance about the future of emergency general surgery.

"To have a temporary service withdrawal in place since December 2022 is totally unacceptable.

"We urge the trust to move at pace with this plan. It is urgent that the fears and anxieties of our constituents are alleviated."