Health Minister addresses the other major health crisis.
Almost half of patients waiting over a year for appoint
WAITING times for health appointments and procedures have grown since the start of the pandemic, but the Health Minister has warned patients should expect to wait even longer as the crisis drags on. The stark reality of the impact Covid-19 has been having on our health service has been officially laid bare in the Department […]
Massive surge in local Covid cases
FERMANAGH has recorded its highest number of positive Covid cases in a single week, with more than twice as many positive test results in the past seven days than in the entire first nine months of the pandemic combined. The total number of people to have tested positive in the Fermanagh and Omagh District has […]
Thousands waiting for life-changing surgery
Cataract surgery is a straight forward day case but can be life changing for patients.
Covid numbers shoot up again
AFTER WEEKS of falling dramatically, by up to 30 percent at a time, the number of Covid cases in Fermanagh has shot up again this week. In fact, the south of the county now has the third highest rate of infection in the North. There have been 241 positive cases in the Fermanagh and Omagh […]
SWAH to temporarily close inpatient paediatrics
The news comes days after the Western Trust warned the service could be disrupted.
Hospital staff to be given option of staying in hotels
The Department of Health has announced it is moving into a new stage of emergency planning.
Further health strikes to hit SWAH next week
FURTHER strike action has been scheduled to take place at SWAH this week after failed negotiations between health unions across the North and the Department of Health. From 10am to 2pm on Friday, all Unison members from the Western Trust at SWAH, Omagh Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital. Patricia McKeown, Regional Secretary of Unison said, “The […]
Don’t use us as political football, says health union
ON Monday members of Unison, gathered once again at the picket line to demonstrate their frustrations over pay parity and staffing levels, with further action to cause serious disruption across all boards of the local community and SWAH. Members of the union have demanded that the health service “should not be used as political leverage,” […]
Nurses gearing up for strike action over pay
NURSES may take industrial action in the coming weeks over staffing levels and pay. There are currently around 3,000 vacancies across the North, including hundreds in the Western Trust area, with shortages placing extra pressures on staff to patient ratio. There are fears that strike action could have a devastating effect on the local health […]