Days after the Western Trust board voted to commence a consultation on the permanent removal of emergency general surgery from South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen hundreds gathered at a quickly convened Save Our Acute Services public meeting to express their anger.
Local campaigners had hit the ground running when the issue was brought forward as an emergency motion by delegates of the Fermanagh Council of Trade Unions at the biennial delegate conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in Belfast. A unanimous vote was obtained – significantly with the support of the health unions – for the restoration of the hospital
The impetus then passed to the local community and attendees at the SOAS meeting filled the main meeting room and two overflow rooms. The scene was set for a huge demonstration of opposition at the one and only public event planned to be held in in Fermanagh on the proposal
Days before the event, Western trust management cancelled the Enniskillen meeting on public safety grounds, and following further criticism cancelled the only other public consultation in Derry.
Ministerial direction to abandon ‘besieged’ process
Stormont health minister Mike Nesbitt broke protocol to publicly call on the Western trust to end the ‘besieged’ consultation and called on them to instead bring forward a ‘vision plan’ for the hospital. The Western trust dutifully cancelled their consultation but failed to bring forward a vision plan. This then led to a public spat as DUP and Sinn Fein attacked the Ulster Unionist minister for not taking the lead on the future of the hospital himself.
This weeks events are a major success for the local SOAS campaign, the workforce at SWAH and the local community as a whole. It has confirmed their ability to secure change from Stormont. However it is only a battle won in a long war of attrition.
Emergency surgery has been withdrawn ‘temporarily’ from SWAH for more than 30 months. What is needed is a commitment by the Stormont Executive, and in particular the minister for health, to restore this service and SWAH as an acute NHS hospital meeting the needs of Fermanagh and Tyrone.
