“SWAH’s a great place to work”


A DOCTOR who moved to Fermanagh a year ago has spoken of how happy he and his family are here, and is encouraging others to come to work at the SWAH. As recruitment issues persist at the Enniskillen hospital, with the Western Trust looking overseas for medical expertise, the Herald has spoken to one SWAH cardiologist who […]

‘Lives will be lost’ if SWAH service is cut


“RURAL lives matter.” That was the message from a meeting held at Fermanagh House last Thursday in response to the real and growing threat to emergency surgery services at the South West Acute Hospital. Organised at short notice after the Trust confirmed last week that poor staffing levels at the Enniskillen hospital meant the service […]

Cutting emergency surgery could harm entire community


CUTTING emergency surgery at the SWAH could not only have “a domino effect” on many other services at the hospital, but could also harm the entire Fermanagh community for years to come. That was yet another message from a meeting held at Fermanagh House last week, organised at the last minute in response to a […]

Consultants warn Trust ‘harm will come to patients’


THE WESTERN Trust has been warned by a concerned group of local consultants that women and babies could die here if the SWAH emergency surgery service is cut. In a jointly-signed letter seen and quoted on the front page of the Sunday Independent at the weekend, the group of obstetric and gynaecological consultants warned, “Harm will […]

Mass protest planned against SWAH cuts


WITH the axe hanging precariously over emergency surgery at SWAH – and potentially many more acute services and the entire status of the hospital as a consequence – a major public protest is being planned in Enniskillen in the coming weeks and the entire community is being urged to attend. Last week the Western Trust […]

Fears SWAH may be downgraded


THERE are fears the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) could be downgraded to a “glorified clinic” after the Western Trust warned the hospital’s ever-shrinking acute surgery workforce was approaching unsafe levels. It had been expected that the acute surgery service, also known as emergency surgery, would be withdrawn this week, which would result in Fermanagh […]

SWAH surgery future in the balance


GENERAL surgery will continue at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) but the Western Trust have warned that consultant surgeons need to be recruited in order to safeguard the long-term future of the service. Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that the SWAH would lose all emergency surgery facilities with the nightmare scenario of patients […]