Public pressure ‘shifts momentum’ in SWAH surgery fight

CAMPAIGN group Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) has said public pressure has triggered a dramatic shift in momentum in the fight to save emergency general surgery at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) but has warned the battle is far from over.
The group reported over half a million views on its social media platforms in just two weeks, reflecting what it called an “unprecedented” shift in public engagement since the controversial consultation was launched – and then paused.
“We have never seen the reaction like we did last week and the change in lanes, our social media in the two weeks since the consultation was launched until it was paused we had 570,784 views on our social media page,” a SOAS spokesperson said.
“I think what we have got from the last week is with a push from everybody we have been an incredible force as a community, with push like this we will get restoration of surgery and we will see the hospital providing safe care for the population in our time and long after.
“There is a bit of risk that I think the people think the battle is won and we really need to be clear that yes we have stopped the consultation but there is still a very significant fight ahead.”
The group highlighted that following flash flooding on Sunday, a hospital needs to be fully functioning incase of mass emergency.
“It is a real fear that there will be a mass casualty event, whether it is multiple car crash, a bus crash or in this case a crowd of people trapped down a cave, we need a fully functional hospital for people to go to in this locality and at the moment,” they added.
“Thank God the Marble Arch Caves got cleared because they are 1 hour and 54 minutes from Altnagelvin and that would be after they get to the service.
“Last night (Sunday) we put up a post advising people not to drive to Altnagelvin in those circumstances because it has become accepted and too many people are being asked to do so.”