Omagh: New mental health unit plans dealt 'huge blow'

The department say the mental health facility in Omagh is still being pursued but highlighted other schemes in other trusts are "higher priorities"

Plans for a new mental health facility in Omagh have been dealt a "huge blow", according to a local councillor.

The Department of Health has said that "at present" it has decided to prioritise two other schemes in the Northern Trust and South Eastern Trust.

In a statement, the department described these as "higher priorities" but said the Omagh project would be pursued when funding was available.

Councillor Barry McElduff urged the department to reconsider the move.

The chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council told the BBC Radio Foyle Breakfast Show that the council received a letter last month with an update on the mental health facility in Omagh.

"In his letter to the council on 20th July, Health Minister Robin Swann appears to be deprioritising that new mental health unit in Omagh," Mr McElduff told the programme.

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Mr McElduff said the letter came as a shock to the council last month as they were "under the impression the unit was long since approved".

He stressed that the Western Health Trust had previously submitted a strong business case for the facility in Omagh.

"The Western Trust have every confidence and stand over the quality of the business case that was submitted and so would I," he said.

Mr McElduff said that there were "massive mental health issues" in rural areas in Londonderry and Omagh and that he believed places "west of the Bann are always being deprioritised" in terms of health care.

He said Fermanagh and Omagh District councillors were seeking an urgent meeting with the minister to "discuss the timescale and express concern regarding the apparent prioritisation" of other areas.

Barry McElduff says there are "massive mental health issues" in rural areas in Derry and Omagh

A spokesperson for the Western Trust said it submitted a proposal for Phase Two development as part of a recent capital planning review exercise for the period 2022-2032.

It said that confirmation of funding and timescales was dependent on business case approval and allocation of capital funding by the Department of Health.

In a statement, the trust said that the department continued to work with it to ensure that this scheme would be delivered "when funding is available".

"However, at present, the acute mental health schemes in the Northern and South Eastern Trusts are considered higher priorities," it said.

The department added it was very conscious of pressing demands for extra funding across many areas of health and social care and would continue to do the best to deliver for the public with resources available. 

It also highlighted that its ability to strategically plan capital investment was "being significantly impaired by the ongoing budgetary uncertainty".