Politicians are claiming this week that the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) was under severe pressure on Sunday, with one doctor understood to have been covering seven wards.

The family of a man in his eighties were “hugely concerned” that he had to wait five hours to get a drip inserted.

SDLP Health Spokesman Fearghal McKinney (who grew up in Enniskillen) comments: “A hospital exists to provide safe care. It is my role to shine a light on these issues.” He tells The Impartial Reporter: “My understanding is that there was one doctor available for seven wards. That would be concerning.

“While there was no detriment to the patient, the family were hugely concerned because he was in a perilous state of health.” Sinn Fein Councillor Debbie Coyle has written to Chief Executive of the Western Trust Elaine Way voicing her concern at reports that one doctor was covering seven wards. “I understand that the doctor was under pressure. I have no doubt that he was if there was no-one else on. This is not acceptable,” she tells The Impartial Reporter.

Mr. McKinney receives concerning reports about hospitals, including SWAH, “all the time”. He believes that the public’s’ concerns illustrate “the extent to which the service rurally is not being provided in the way that was supposed to be consistent with Transforming Your Care.” The Health Spokesman also believes that pressures at SWAH are leading to more patients being dealt with in Altnagelvin. “I understand that numbers of people are being driven past the South West Acute Hospital, even in cases of emergency, e.g. to attend coronary care in Altnagelvin,” he states.

The January 2015 Department of Health figures for SWAH Emergency Care waiting times show that 80 per cent of 2,336 attendances were seen within the target time of four hours. 463 waited between four and 12 hours.

Mr. McKinney comments: “In terms of the accident and emergency, SWAH is doing better. What would concern me is the fact people aren’t going to the accident and emergency unit at all because they are being taken on to Derry. Therefore the figures look good, but may be being skewed by the ambulance service being instructed to take people on somewhere else.

“Given that it’s a new hospital which was treated with fan-fare and there was expectation in the community that services would be provided consistent with good quality care, it would be concerning that the Trust is now driving people past the hospital,” Mr. McKinney continues.

Last October, the Western Trust announced a £7 million savings plan, targeting three key areas: services, workforce controls and non-pay expenditure. Mr. McKinney comments: “The Trust was instructed by the department to make those cuts and they are going to affect the most vulnerable in our society, both in hospitals and in domiciliary care. When you strip away resources, that undermines the provision of care in the area.” He is further concerned that “the cancellation of elective care due to cutbacks to transfer resource to A&E has brought a halt to a lot of the operations that were being carried out through the private sector, who rented back significant ward and operating theatre space to deal with the backlog.” He concludes: “Strangely enough, there’s still pressure on the accident and emergency in Enniskillen and there’s still pressure on the mainstream hospital provision; is Enniskillen getting its fair share?

A spokeswoman from the Western Health and Social Care Trust stated: “There was appropriate medical staff cover in place on Sunday 22 February 2015 at the South West Acute Hospital.”