The Trust says the ward is being pressed into action for private health to help ease waiting lists.

Ward 4 in the South West Acute Hospital is leased to private healthcare company 3Five2 Healthcare Group. Last year it was confirmed by the Western Trust’s director of acute services Geraldine McKay that NHS patients are treated there also. In a statement released in July she stated that when demand for hospital services exceeded capacity to provide those services, Trust had used Independent sector providers to ensure that patients are treated within appropriate waiting times.

 

Ward 4 is a 24 bedded unit with single en suite rooms similar to those in NHS wards.

 

A spokesman for the Trust revealed that patients on waiting lists to be treated in the ward will not only come from Fermanagh, but also from across the border.

 

“The Western Trust and 3Five2 Healthcare Group have agreed that the group will utilise vacant bed and theatre accommodation in South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen. This will be used to treat patients who have been waiting long periods for surgical interventions in a number of specialties including gynaecology, general surgery, spinal orthopaedics, vascular and ENT. The majority of patients will come from referrals from waiting list initiatives in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.”

 

Mental health practitioner and Independent councillor Raymond Farrell said he would like to see greater investment in the NHS, but understood the need to use private healthcare companies.

 

“I would like to see the investment going into the health department that they can speedily see a resolution to these long waiting lists through the NHS. Having said that I’m conscious that people who are in pain and who are in distress and the impact that has on them and their families.

 

“The opportunity to get a procedure or operation carried out quicker is a massive relief and certainly in the short term while we’re going through financial pressures I can understand it.

 

“I think in the long  term I would like to see a proper NHS that can really deal with these situations as opposed to resorting to private operations.”