THE WESTERN Trust has insisted figures it provided to the health regulator for its review on the removal emergency general surgery (EGS) from the SWAH were accurate.
Fermanagh campaigners fighting to restore the service had questioned the figures on bed capacity provided by the Trust to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) for a review into the pathways associated with the suspension of SWAH EGS.
The figures concerned surgical bed capacity at Altnagelvin, with Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) noting a discrepancy between the Trust figures and those published by the Department of Health (DoH).
SOAS noted that the Trust figures provided to the RQIA review stated Altnagelvin currently had a surgical inpatient capacity of 80 beds, with the review stating “this had not changed since the temporary suspension of EGS at SWAH” at end of 2022.
On the other hand, SOAS pointed out quarterly figures published by DoH show the number of available beds in Altnagelvin at the end of 2022 was 55 – down from 66 in 2014 – and had risen to an average of 75, peaking at 80, by mid-2023.
SOAS spokesman Donal O’Cofaigh pointed out there had been a 36 percent increase in surgical bed capacity at Altnagelvin since the suspension of SWAH EGS.
Mr O’Cofaigh said this increase highlighted in the surge in demand for beds at Altnagelvin created by the removal of the service from the Enniskillen hospital.
“This is a stark confirmation of the scale of additional pressure faced by both Altnagelvin and the ambulance and patient transfer services,” he said, adding it was “directly relevant to many of the conclusions reached by the RQIA investigation team.”
Mr O’Cofaigh added, “Our campaign has highlighted repeatedly our fears of widespread under-reporting of critical incidents.
“We have little to no confidence in the reliability of published data on health services in the Western Trust.”
The Trust, however, has stressed its “current unscheduled surgical inpatient bed capacity for General Surgery and Urology of 80 beds is correct.”
“Altnagelvin continues to see an average of 2.5 EGS patients per day and factually accurate information is available on the Western Trust website,” said a spokesman.
“Demand for hospital beds peaks at different times of the day, week and year, however the increased pressures on hospitals continues and this is not unique to the Western Trust.”
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