SWAH crisis fails to raise tempers in Tyrone

THERE was a disappointing turn out when the Western Health Trust’s top brass held their first public consultation in Tyrone regarding the precarious future of emergency general surgery at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH), on Wednesday night.

The chief executive, flanked by other senior officials, sat before a thinly-crowded hall in Fintona’s Ecclesville Centre, in what transpired to be a courteous, if not somewhat tame, discussion regarding the future of emergency surgical services in SWAH.

The tone of the proceedings, described as ‘respectful and dignified’ by chief executive, Neil Guckian, came in stark contrast to the passionate, emotional, angry atmosphere that simmered in Enniskillen’s Lakeland Forum just a few nights before.

In Enniskillen, the first contribution from the public came from a woman who told the officials present, “You should all be ashamed of yourselves!” The ripple of applause confirmed that her frustration and ire was shared by the majority.

Just 19 miles away in Fintona, however, matters moved in a more tempered tone.

The Trust began with a presentation detailing how and why the present situation – namely, the ‘temporary’ suspension of emergency general surgery at SWAH – has come to pass, reiterating that a lack of consultants lay at the heart of the crisis.

Mr Guckian said that there was no point in the Trust’s top officials offering the public a series of ‘platitudes’, while associate medical director, Ronan O’Hare, said that he welcomed the chance to present the facts to the public.

When the floor opened up to discussion, many were interested to know what actions the Trust were taking to address their proven and protracted problem recruiting consultants.

Mr Guckian, noting the vital importance of making Fermanagh and west Tyrone an attractive location for consultants to move to, said the Trust had teamed up with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to produce a ‘snazzy video’, highlighting the strengths of the area, including the scenic views, strong community, and state-of-the-art facilities at SWAH.

Fears were also expressed over the Trust’s use of the word ‘temporary’.

Taking the microphone, an audience member asked the panel if they could provide any definite reassurance that emergency general surgery services in SWAH would reopen in the future.

Mr Guckian and his team, however, were unable to make any categorical commitment, taking the opportunity to re-emphasise that finding the necessary consultants would be a huge challenge.

The panel spoke about their number one concern being the safe treatment of patients, claiming that true medical equality was not as much about the proximity of services to a particular patient, but rather that the patients can get the highest standard of the services they need.

They assured those in attendance that this was not some manufactured crisis, and there was no ‘conspiracy’ or ‘big plan’ playing out before their eyes.

As evidence of the fact that the present situation has been brought about by natural causes, the panel alluded to the chaotic nature of the crisis itself.