LOCAL health campaigners have warned the patients of Fermanagh are facing “the most dramatic winter for healthcare” this year, with moves elsewhere in the health service expected to put even more pressure on our already-struggling system.
Last week it was confirmed the Northern Trust had proposed moving all emergency general surgery (EGS) to one hospital, just like has happened in the Western Trust, where all EGS now only takes place at Altnagelvin.
The Northern Trust is now preparing to launch a consultation on the move, which is expected to see EGS removed from the Causeway Hospital.
With Altnagelvin one of the closest hospitals to Causeway – just 45 minutes away – there are fears this could put even more pressure on the over-crowded Derry ED, where Fermanagh EGS patients are being sent to and regularly have to wait for a second time after going through the SWAH.
It is also feared it could further limit access to the tiny number of ring-fenced beds for the thousands of Fermanagh EGS patients, which are regularly unavailable, leading to long waits for admission for patients transferred from the SWAH.
The news comes as fears continue to grow that EGS will be removed permanently from the SWAH.
The current situation is still classed as ‘temporary’, however, there have long been concerns the move would not be reversed as the Western Trust has made no attempt to recruit surgeons to the hospital’s EGS rota since it collapsed two years ago.
In the minutes for the June meeting of the Western Trust board, it was noted the Trust was in the “preparatory stages” of making the move permanent.
When contacted by the ‘Herald about this at the time, the Trust stated the board’s approval would be needed to move forward with a consolation, and this had not been proposed.
Speaking to the ‘Herald, a spokesperson for Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) said the move by the Northern Trust further added to fears the removal of EGS from smaller hospitals was part of a pattern. They also fear the pressure the move would put on Altnagelvin.
“One of the things that concerns us hugely is the road map to the five super hospitals seems to be methodically being pushed through, whether it is about patient safety or not,” they said.
“We would have a huge concern that the hospital which they are now removing surgery from – although it is 44 minutes from two different hospitals, one of those hospitals is Altnagelvin.
“If an ambulance is called to a scene it frequently would be advised to go to the closest hospital. That will be Altnagelvin.
“If that is Altnagelvin, where do the Fermanagh people go in that queue, and to what ring-fenced beds and exactly how are they going to fit anybody else safely? How are they going to manage them clinically safely on the frontline of an already bursting hospital?”
SOAS added while they understood the anxiety at Causeway, it was important to note that the Coleraine hospital was close to two others, while SWAH and Fermanagh patients were in a much more dangerous situation.
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