NEW figures show the South West Acute Hospital has been allocated a shockingly low number of speciality middle-grade doctors over the past five years.
The statistics came from a Freedom of Information request by Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) to the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA), which asked for details of the middle-grade speciality doctors being allocated to all hospitals in the North.
They show what SOAS has called “a shocking inequality in allocations” across every department.
For example, as can be seen in the table below that was compiled by SOAS, in the school of anaesthetics and ICU, SWAH received zero specialty doctors compared to 160 in Altnagelvin, between August 2018 and February 2023.
In emergency medicine, SWAH also received zero speciality doctors, compared to 93 in Altnagelvin. In medical diagnostics, SWAH again received zero, compared to 44 in Altnagelvin.
In paediatrics, SWAH was allocated two speciality doctors, compared to Altnagelvin’s 97.
In general surgery the numbers were 25 for SWAH, compared to 264 for Altnagelvin.
“This comparison of figures between SWAH and Altnagelvin reveals a shocking disparity, especially when we know that SWAH has performed 40 percent of all the surgeries in the Western Trust over the same five-year period,” said SOAS spokesman, Donal O’Cofaigh.
In the schools of medicine, and obstetrics and gynaecology, SWAH received a slightly higher number of allocations – 37 and 17, respectively however once again these were dwarfed by the Altnagelvin allocations – 194 and 116 respectively.
When compared to other hospitals across the North, the SWAH was also very much lagging behind in the number of speciality doctors allocated, even compared to other ‘small’ hospitals, Causeway and Daisy Hill.
“Overall SWAH received an average of four speciality doctors per 100 beds every six months,” said Mr O’Cofaigh.
“By comparison Altnagelvin received 21. Daisy Hill and Causeway hospitals – both of which are currently facing downgrading – received double the allocation given to SWAH – eight and seven in the same period respectively.”
Mr O’Cofaigh said the numbers were “stark.”
“They reveal that SWAH has been systematically undermined by NIMDTA in conjunction with the Royal Colleges – including the Royal College of Surgeons,” he said.
“They completely shred any credibility for the excuses that the removal of urgent and emergency surgery from SWAH was driven by difficulties in recruitment.”
He added, “SWAH hasn’t been allocated the middle grade doctors that our hospital needed. Middle-grade speciality doctors are essential for a hospital to function.
“By allocating them, there’s a chance they may stay on. These speciality doctors fulfil a vital function by sharing the workload of Consultants the whole way through from Emergency Department to every specialism in our hospital.”
Mr O’Cofaigh said the SWAH surgical rota “could not succeed with this lack of speciality doctors” and said this “sends a clear signal of intent to run down our hospital.”
“It is clear that Fermanagh has been de-railed once again,” he said. “SWAH was built here in recognition of our geography – it is still needed. We cannot and will not accept second class status or second-class access for our families to basic NHS services.”
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