FORMER leading consultant surgeon at the SWAH, Essam Ghareeb, has hit out at a submission from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) which deemed the suspension of emergency general surgery (EGS) at the SWAH as “appropriate.”
This week the Western Trust welcomed the joint response from the RCS in England, which covers the North, and the RCS in Edinburgh to its public consultation on the suspension of emergency general surgery (EGS) at the SWAH.
The RCSs’ submission deemed the Trust’s decision to “temporarily” suspend the EGS service as appropriate, in light of the fact the SWAH did not have enough consultant general surgeons to fill its rota, following a number of resignations last autumn. It also stated the hospital did not meet the recommended standards in the Department’s Review of General Surgery, published last summer, by not having the required clinical interdependencies.
However, former leading consultant surgeon, Essam Ghareeb, who worked at the SWAH for just under 30 years and is a former director of surgery, has challenged this submission from the RCS.
“The RCS’ statement is a repeat of its long-standing opinion regarding the amalgamation of services and forming major centres,” he said. “While this is understandable and makes sense in some sub-specialities in surgery, it has major faults.”
GEOGRAPHIC ISOLATION
Mr Ghareeb noted RCS representatives had been involved in discussions regarding the suspension of EGS at the SWAH, and feels they “ignored” the issues highlighted during these meetings. He believes they did not make an effort “to cater for the needs of the population in dispersed and remote areas” and did not try to find solutions to the situation.
Mr Ghareeb also noted it was up to democratically elected ministers to provide healthcare for the public, not the RCS.
“Providing safe services for a named section of the population is the responsibility of the government, and not the Royal College of Surgeons,” he said. “So appointing surgeons to a hospital to cater for the needs of its population does need the approval of a RCS.”
He added, “If the statement made by the representative of the RCS is targeted to the SWAH situation, why doesn’t he or she come on a fact-finding mission and drive from this area to Altnagelvin or take public transport. This is what the producers of the Haye’s Report did, when deciding where to build the new hospital for Tyrone and Fermanagh.
“Also, this person should imagine a badly injured young or sick, frail, elderly member of his family making the two-three hour trip.”
RECRUITMENT EFFORTS
Mr Ghareeb said closing EGS at the SWAH meant consultant posts would now go to Altnagelvin, which he feels has been the aim of the Trust for some time, based on his experience working at the hospital.
Indeed, as previously pointed out by the Herald and others, the Trust has not actually advertised for consultant general surgeons for the SWAH since mid-2021. That is despite assuring the Department of Health, as well as the local public, it would “continue” do all it could to fill the consultant surgeon vacancies at the SWAH when requesting the Department sign off on the “temporary” suspension of EGS at the SWAH in November.
Instead, it has been advertising for surgeons to be based at Altnagelvin, with a requirement for the new consultants to work Trust-wide. The Trust has repeatedly referred to these recruitment efforts when asked by the media and local representatives about any potential restoration of the EGS service at the hospital.
However, the Trust recently confirmed to the Herald these new surgeons would only be carrying out elective surgery at the SWAH, and were not being hired to restore the EGS service at the SWAH.
CONCERNS
A supporter of the Save Our Acute Services campaign, Mr Ghareeb has been speaking out in recent times about his concerns about the impact removing EGS from the SWAH will have on local patient safety. He has also been highly critical of the Trust’s efforts to recruit consultants to the hospital.
You can read more on these concerns here: Patients will die says former SWAH surgeon
Having moved to the county three decades ago and raised his family here, you can also read why he would encourage any consultants out there to come and work and live in Fermanagh here: Why Fermanagh’s a great place to live and work
You can also read more on Mr Ghareeb’s response to the Trust’s comments on the future of EGS at the SWAH in this week’s Herald.
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