“WE know our patients are getting unequal services, and it’s our moral duty to say this isn’t fair.”
Those were the words of one of the many serving members of SWAH staff who came out to join their families and friends for a candlelit rally in support of the hospital in Enniskillen last Thursday evening.
Speaking to the ‘Herald anonymously for obvious reasons, one current staff nurse outlined how they felt it was important for the hospital staff to join in the fight to restore our surgery services and to keep the SWAH an acute hospital.
“Year by year we’re losing our services, and I just don’t think it’s fair,” they said. “We’re giving unequal care to our patients.
“I feel it’s important for the whole people of Fermanagh to stand together. I think it’s important for our patients to know we want to do better, and it’s important for us not to accept this standard.”
Noting the SWAH staff were also members of the community, and they were caring for their own neighbours and loved ones, the nurse thanked Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) for all its work over the past two years.
They also completely disagreed with the Western Trust’s claim that press coverage of patients’ horrific experiences over the past two years by the ‘Herald and others was negatively impacting staff morale.
“One hundred percent not,” they said, noting that in the news coverage patients always commended the hard work of staff.
“We know SOAS is behind us, we know the whole community of Fermanagh are behind us, and they [patients] are just so complimentary of the care they receive under difficult circumstances. So we never take it personally.”
Former SWAH nurse Madeleine Killen also spoke out in support of her colleagues and community.
“It breaks my hearts,” she said. “To think 12 years ago we were celebrating our beautiful theatres full of hope, and 12 years later we’re all standing here disillusioned with the whole service and full of sadness. But people power works.”
Encouraging the entire community to get behind the SOAS campaign, she continued hit out at the Western Trust’s narrative that the collapse of emergency general surgery at the SWAH had been inevitable.
“The writing was on the wall,” said Madeleine.
“They keep saying it was recruitment and retention, but for years we told them they had an ageing population and they needed to be recruiting and they ignored us. There was a catalogue of failures.
“They created this, but they forgot about the people. People power counts works every time.”
Reflecting on the many times her family and friends needed the care of the SWAH, Madeleine noted many staff in the hospital were afraid to speak out.
“The backbone is the staff,” she said. “Less management and more staff – foot soldiers are what’s required.”
She concluded, “It’s not rocket science.”
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