With health budgets facing big cuts an online Fermanagh Herald poll shows that already people here are worried about the state of our NHS, Ryan Smith reports…
DESPITE investment in a multi-million acute hospital just over two years ago, the majority of people in Fermanagh are not satisfied with the level of healthcare they receive in the county.
In an online poll carried out by the Fermanagh Herald, 54% of respondents indicated that they were not satisfied with the level of healthcare they received in the county – with 44% indicating they ‘Yes’ and 2% answering ‘Don’t know’.
Issues appear to centre around waiting times and staffing levels – and with fears over cuts to healthcare, a further decline in patient satisfaction might be expected.
While healthcare cannot be confined to experiences exclusive to the hospital, and can include a range of other services, the results of this poll will not come as welcome reading to the Western Trust, especially in the light of the huge investment in the new, state of the art South West Acute Hospital near Enniskillen.
The union which represents a large number of staff within the Western Trust has continually spoken of a dissatisfaction among staff.
This week, Unison branch secretary, Jill Weir indicated that staff are giving ‘over 100%’ however, staffing levels – as well as pay – remain pertinent issues.
While our online poll showed a high percentage (44%) happy with the healthcare they receive, a clear majority are not satisfied with healthcare and further cuts heighten that level of dissatisfaction.
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