LACK of interest in an inquiry into Northern Ireland’s Emergency Health Care means Fermanagh lost out on its opportunity to play a part in improving health care in the West.

As part of its inquiry in Emergency Health Care, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has been holding public hearings throughout the North over the course of September and October.

The inquiry is examining the quality of people’s experiences in emergency departments and NIHRC want to hear from people who use and work in our Emergency care system.

Throughout the course of the inquiry a NIHRC panel have been listening to patients and health care staff about their experiences of Emergency Healthcare in Northern Ireland.

Because while a public hearing had been scheduled to take place at Fermanagh House in Enniskillen, only the Western Trust had expressed an interest in attending.

There seems to have been a disconnect, however, between the Commission’s promotion of the hearings and the public’s perception of how it would be rolled out.

The inquiry is not a ‘drop-in’ scenario where people in the audience are invited to give evidence.

Instead, the Commission had opened an inquiry line over the summer asking people to register to give evidence at one of the scheduled public hearings.

Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA, Phil Flanagan, was unaware of this arrangement when he contacted the Impartial Reporter last week to express his disappointment that the local hearing had been cancelled.

Explaining that he had planned to attend to present evidence on behalf of constituents, Mr. Flanagan said the decision was “unacceptable”.

“It is bad enough that patients in Fermanagh have to constantly travel to Belfast or Derry to access the most basic healthcare services, despite having a world class hospital on our doorsteps,” he said, “But now people interested in making a submission to this inquiry also have to travel outside the county.” He called upon the NIHRC to reinstate a hearing in Fermanagh.

“I am certain that there is considerable interest amongst the Fermanagh population, hospital staff, trade unions and public representatives in feeding into this inquiry and it is only right and proper that we, like every other area, have access to the panel to make our feelings on Emergency Health Care known,” he added.

But a spokeswoman for the Commission said a hearing would only be reinstated if there was a clear appetite from the Fermanagh public to feed into the inquiry.

“The Commission kept the October 8 date open for an Enniskillen hearing for as long as possible,” she explained, “We used extra resources to pay for additional advertising to highlight the hearing and encourage participants from the Enniskillen area to register. We engaged with local community groups, press and with visitors of the South West Acute Hospital.

“Unfortunately as of last week the Western Trust were the only organisation who had arranged to provide evidence and they will still have the opportunity to do so at another hearing. We will certainly keep this under review and if we receive renewed interest to attend the Enniskillen hearing to give evidence, we can add another date. Please contact the Commission to register on investigations@nihrc.org or call us at 0800 028 6066.” Newly appointed NIHRC Chief Commissioner, Les Allamby said of the hearings: “Everyone is welcome to come along and listen to the evidence given at the hearings. We want to identify what works, so it can be repeated, and what does not, so it can be improved. Over 700,000 people attend Accident and Emergency Services every year in Northern Ireland. We expect to hear from people who have had positive experiences as well as those who have not. The aim of this Inquiry is to have an improved emergency healthcare system in Northern Ireland, one that maintains human rights best practice.”