The Western Health and Social Care Trust are on the search for five members of the public to form an ‘Expert by Experience Group’ which the Trust say will “lead and influence our ongoing work” in relation to the Pathfinder initiative.

Pathfinder is an initiative launched by the Trust last year to look into future health provision in the Fermanagh and West Tyrone area.

The WHSCT is also holding engagement meetings over the coming weeks as part of Pathfinder. At present meetings are planned for Ederney, Irvinestown, Lisnaskea and Brookeborough. Other meetings are also planned and members of the public are urged to visit www.westerntrust.hscni.net/pathfinder where the events will be published from Monday, January 7.

The meetings require members of the public to register.

If your Group, in the Fermanagh and West Tyrone Region, would like to arrange an Engagement Session as part of the complete Pathfinder Engagement Programme the WHSCT has asked that you contact Chris Curran, Communications Manager, by email to pathfinder@westerntrust.hscni.net.

The five members for the ‘Expert by Experience Group’ will come from five different regions of the Trust area with Enniskillen and Sout West/East Fermanagh two regions. Mid Fermanagh and West Tyrone will make up a third region while Omagh and North West and East Tyrone will make up the remaining regions.

Members of the public who wish to apply for one of the positions can do so by emailing pathfinder@westerntrust.hscni.net with the closing date for applications/nominations January 7 and selection will be carried out by the PPI forum.

Deputy Chief Executive of the Western Trust, Kieran Downey, who is leading the Pathfinder project, says:

“There is no doubt that there are a number of challenges which lie ahead but there are also great opportunities. By taking a detailed honest look at what we are doing and ensuring we hear the experiences and views of all the community and stakeholders, we can do this better working together going forward. It is vital to state again we have no pre-determined outcomes in this process and this is not about cost cutting exercises. It is about working with what we have to deliver services better for everyone”.