South West Acute Hospital emergency general surgery withdrawal to continue

The South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen has struggled to recruit and retain some specialist staff

The temporary withdrawal of emergency surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (Swah) in Enniskillen is set to continue.

It comes after the publication of findings from a Western Health and Social Care Trust consultation.

The report does not state if current arrangements, introduced in December 2022, will be made permanent.

But it does state it believes pathways in place are working and no viable alternatives have been identified.

A spokesperson for a campaign group opposed to the current arrangements, which requires patients to travel to Altnagelvin rather than Swah, has said the scenario left the people of Fermanagh and Tyrone as "second class citizens".

The trust published a 41-page findings document on Thursday following its monthly board meeting.

This collated the findings of a 12-week consultation process that included face-to-face and online events.

In a statement Western Trust chief executive Neil Guckian said: "The decision to temporarily suspend emergency general surgery at the Swah was taken to protect public safety.

"Although there was very significant objections to the temporary change, the new pathways put in place have been working effectively.

"An average of two patients a day have been admitted to Altnagelvin for emergency general surgery since 19 December 2022, and we are pleased to report there is no evidence that the temporary change to the pathways at SWAH has negatively impacted on patient clinical outcomes."

According to the report between 19 December 2022 and 30 April 2023:

• 321 people were transferred to another Hospital due to the temporary change in Emergency General Surgery at SWAH

• 296 people were admitted to Altnagelvin Hospital who previously would have received their Emergency General Surgery care at SWAH

• 25 people were admitted to Craigavon Hospital who previously would have received their Emergency General Surgery care at SWAH

• 155 patients received care within the newly established ambulatory care service at SWAH

Mr Guckian continued: "We recognise how difficult it will be to reinstate emergency general surgery at Swah due to both recruitment challenges and the requirements for access to other clinical services within the new regional standards for General Surgery, published by the health minister.

"South West Acute Hospital falls some way short of meeting the requirements of these standards."

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However, Donal O'Cofaigh of the Save our Acute Services group said the report was, "a tickbox exercise that the community isn't going to accept".

"It is entirely predictable that the trust would take this approach - that they'll continue to do what they were intending to do anyway.

They aren't coming out and saying that this is permanent but it gives them leeway to do what they wish.

"There are more than 83,000 people in Fermanagh and Tyrone more than an hour away from these emergency services, it leaves them as second-class citizens."

The consultation report can be read here.