NEWLY graduated student nurses have expressed a first preference to work at the Western Trust. The Trust welcomed the development and confirmed that the level of interest was significantly higher than in previous years. “This reflects the very positive experience, which students have highlighted during their placements within many service areas in the Trust, and is a […]
Health developments show ‘people power’ still strong
NOT for the first time, ‘people power’ has been helping protect and restore vital services in Fermanagh, with a local campaign group pointing to community pressure as the reason for two positive recent developments. Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) has welcomed two recent “good news stories” about health services in the county – the first being […]
Lisnaskea plan could save Fermanagh GP crisis
NEWS that the construction of a new state-of-the-art health centre in Lisnaskea will begin within weeks has been greeted with cautious optimism, and the hope that the grand plan could solve the deepening GP crisis in Fermanagh. The proposed centre will be the biggest health project the county has seen since the South West Acute Hospital was built in 2012. […]
Enniskillen RNLI rescue jet skiers injured on the Erne
ENNISKILLEN RNLI, the Irish Coast Guard helicopter, and the NI Ambulance Service were all involved in the rescue of two jet skiers who were injured on Lough Erne last weekend. The volunteer Enniskillen RNLI crew were called to scene by the Belfast Coastguard shortly after 6.40pm on Saturday evening, August 24, after reports two people […]
A long winter ahead for Fermanagh health service
LOCAL health campaigners have warned the patients of Fermanagh are facing “the most dramatic winter for healthcare” this year, with moves elsewhere in the health service expected to put even more pressure on our already-struggling system. Last week it was confirmed the Northern Trust had proposed moving all emergency general surgery (EGS) to one hospital, […]
Patient empathy as horror stories continue to emerge
LAST week the ‘Herald shared yet another story of a local patient’s horrific experience of having to travel from Fermanagh to Derry for emergency general surgery (EGS), just as this paper has been reporting for almost two years now since the suspension of EGS at the SWAH. As happens often, this story prompted significant empathy among […]
Trainee doctors join Fermanagh SWAH team
THE SOUTH West Acute Hospital has last week welcomed a new cohort of trainee doctors, some of whom have travelled from overseas to work at the Enniskillen hospital. The SWAH group is part of an overall intake of 270 doctors across the Western Trust, with the junior doctors joining medical and surgical teams across the wider area, […]
Family shocked by SWAH patient’s medical notes
A LOCAL woman who asked for a copy of the medical notes of a family member who was transferred from SWAH to Altnagelvin has been left shocked by what they revealed. One of the biggest concerns among the local community regarding the removal of emergency general surgery (EGS) services from the Enniskillen hospital has been […]
GP cover at all-time low in Fermanagh
DOCTOR shortages are continuing to devastate the Fermanagh community as local rural surgeries fight to survive. With the crisis spreading across the county, the latest to be hit is Brookeborough and Tempo surgery where the Herald learned there is regularly not enough GP cover. One reader told how she has not been able to see a […]
Fears over measles outbreak after more cases confirmed
PARENTS are being urged to be on high alert after three measles cases were confirmed last week just across the border in Cavan. According to Northern Sound, many more people in the area may have been exposed to infection as one of those diagnosed presented at Cavan General Hospital, with GPs in the area notified […]