Procedures from other hospitals, beginning with those in Belfast, are now being redirected to the Enniskillen hospital in the short term, however it is understood health officials are also considering extending the plan in the long term. This has been welcomed locally, with hopes high it could help attract more medical staff and retain services at the state-of-the-art facility. 

Speaking to the Assembly on Monday, in response to a question from local MLA Rosemary Barton, Health Minster Robin Swann said the initiative was initially focused on high priority patients, noting it was “critical that we make best use of all available capacity.”

Minister Swann said: “The surgeons actually from across Northern Ireland [will be] travelling to Enniskillen to provide surgery that cannot currently be provided at other sites due to the numbers of Covid positive inpatients. 

“The initial sessions have been offered to the Belfast Trust for surgical lists and time critical treatments, which have been displaced by the activation of the Belfast City Hospital Nightingale.”

Speaking Monday’s Assembly session, Ms Barton welcomed the confirmation of the plan and said she hoped it would provide a boost to the hospital in the long run. 

 

To read more on this story see this week’s Fermanagh Herald. Can’t get to the shop to collect your copy? No problem! You can download a copy straight to your device by following this link https://bit.ly/3gOl8G0