A meeting of the Trust Board of WHSCT took place at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH), Enniskillen on 17 October 2022 to discuss cutting Emergency General Surgery Service in SWAH.
This announcement will be of great concern to both service users and health service staff who will be deeply concerned for the future provision of service that requires the support of Emergency Surgery.
It is clear that any cut in services will increase pressure on the other hospitals within the Trust, further exacerbating the safe staffing crisis and putting the lives of more patients at risk.
Unfortunately, the Trust chose to add to the distress caused by this announcement by failing to communicate through established trade union consultation process.
Rumours of this cut first surfaced at a meeting of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on 4 October yet management have only communicated with trade unions about it today, after the public announcement.
NIPSA will seek to work with our sister trade unions and the community to resist any cuts to health care provision.