A FERMANAGH mother of a very sick baby has spoken out in support of the staff at the South West Acute Hospital, who she said are continuing to go above and beyond for patients and their families despite the current pressures at the hospital.
Amid all the stress and uncertainty regarding the future of emergency general surgery at the SWAH, which is now suspended due to a lack of surgeons, the staff of the state-of-the-art Enniskillen hospital have been continuing to provide top class care to the local community.
Bellanaleck woman Shauna is mother to baby Logan, who is very poorly at the moment and requires complex heart surgery. Her family sadly knows all too well the difference such a dedicated team makes to families during worrying times.
While now in hospital in Belfast, in recent days Logan received life-saving emergency care at the SWAH, after he stopped breathing at home.
“We had three paramedics out in the ambulance and we had an ambulance car out to us, with a paramedic who has cardiac background,” she said. “He was blue lighted in and the team was waiting for him in resus.”
When they arrived at the SWAH, a team was waiting and ready to treat Logan, while other staff spoke with Shauna.
“We are very well known in SWAH and Dr Thompson was on that day and she was amazing,” said Shauna, adding Logan had stopped breathing twice since being taken into the hospital.
“SWAH have been amazing, like with the pressure they are under the care we have received has been amazing. We cannot afford to lose our hospital.”
Shauna was also full of praise for the ambulance service, who arrived within ten minutes of being called, as well as the SWAH team, and their CCN nurse.
“They were doing everything they needed to do for him to make sure he was OK, and reassured me that he was OK.”
Noting the ED had “mental” when they were in, with patients waiting on trolleys everywhere, Shauna said while some people may criticise the long waits, the staff were not to be faulted.
“The staff need to get the support from the public,” she said.
Shauna added, “It’s crazy. It’s just unfair for the staff because they are getting blamed by people when staff are doing all they can for everyone and working under such pressure.”
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