Health minister vows to cut private spending


THE HEALTH Minister has vowed to reduce the amount being paid to private providers to deliver public services, following a recent report in the ‘Herald. Minister Mike Nesbitt was responding to questions in the Assembly chamber about revelations in this paper that in the past four years £150 million was paid from the public purse to private providers to […]

Fermanagh priest condemns domestic violence increase


A LOCAL priest has said that any form of violence against women is “never justified” after Fermanagh was named as one of the most dangerous places for a woman to live in Europe. The community was left shaken after the Herald revealed that six of the 42 females killed violently in the North, over the past eight years, […]

Trust says ICU at SWAH won’t be downgraded


THE Western Health and Social Care Trust has said there’s “no plans whatsoever” to downgrade the ICU department at the South West Acute Hospital after rumours circulated over its future. There had been speculation locally that the future of the intensive care unit at the SWAH was in doubt, after months of campaigning in a bid […]

Birthday card appeal launched for Fermanagh man Patrick


WHEN Patrick Haren was born his mum was told he wouldn’t live to see his first birthday. This year, the Fermanagh man will turn 22 and his mother Wendy is appealing for everyone to send him a birthday card to celebrate. “Because of his crippling scoliosis and underlying health problems he is a very small […]

Farmers urged to make wellbeing a real priority


A RURAL charity that provides support for farmers across the North is hosting a series of free workshops aimed at helping those involved with the agricultural industry deal with the mounting pressures they are facing. Veronica Morris, Rural Support chief executive, said, “The farming industry continues to face many stressful factors which are outside of their […]

Occupational therapists struggling to find jobs


NEWLY graduated occupational therapists (OT) are struggling to find jobs throughout the Western Trust area. Similar to the graduate nurses who have previously contacted this paper after finding no vacancies in the local health service this Fermanagh OT graduate has said they have been told there is little possibility they will be finding a role this […]

Derrygonnelly GAA players to cycle for mental health


A LOCAL GAA club is embarking on an ambitious fitness challenge later this month in a bid to raise awareness about the ever-worsening and worrying mental health crisis in our society. As a knock-on effect from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s been reported that there has been a rise in males of all ages seeking mental […]

Fermanagh singer opens up on mental health


WITH the county in the grip of a mental health crisis, local men in particular have been urged to speak up and seek help to save lives. The plea comes from a local Country music star who has spoken out after overcoming his own battle with mental health which left him seriously ill and in […]

Heartfelt appeal as Lisa McHugh’s daughter battles RSV


LOCAL Country music star Lisa McHugh is warning parents to “speak up to protect your baby from illness”, as her daughter Hallie battles Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) at SWAH. “I can’t describe how horrendous it has been to watch her so weak and in so much pain and being unable to take that pain away,” Lisa posted on […]