Ambulance cover fears as transfers to Derry soar

FERMANAGH is being left without adequate ambulance cover, as new figures reveal the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) is making more than two transfers a day from the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) to Altnagelvin.
A Freedom of Information request obtained by the ‘Herald shows NIAS carried out 795 transfers from Enniskillen to Derry in the past 12 months, 538 of them emergencies. The surge follows the removal of emergency general surgery (EGS) from SWAH. The figures do not include the additional number of private ambulance transfers made each week.
Each transfer can tie up crews for up to five hours – a 90-minute journey to Derry, up to two hours waiting for patient handover, and another 90 minutes returning – taking ambulances and staff out of the county for extended periods.
The ‘Herald understands ambulance availability in Fermanagh can fall to just two vehicles per shift on some days. Combined with the daily transfers, campaigners and paramedics believe the community is being left dangerously exposed in life-threatening situations.
A Western Trust spokesperson stressed efforts were being made to ease the pressure.
“The Western Trust works closely with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and operate an agreed protocol relating to patients requiring transfer from SWAH to Altnagelvin Hospital,” said a Trust spokesperson.
“It is important to note that the Western Trust has the best ambulance turnaround times across Northern Ireland.”
However, NIAS staff have described the strain as immense.
“Ambulance staff locally knew this was going to be a disaster,” one insider said. “It’s a miracle that an ambulance hasn’t ended up in the ditch, and help could be a long time coming if this were to become permanent.”