A mass protest has been planned for the beginning of December as the fight to retain services at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) builds momentum.

Last Monday, the Western Trust released a statement regarding the fragility of emergency surgery at the SWAH due to staffing pressures.

And while they stated no decision had been taken yet on the withdrawal of services, many fear it is inevitable this will happen.

However, multiple sources at the hospital have told The Impartial Reporter that some time between early- and mid-December the service will be withdrawn.

There is also a fear that services at Accident and Emergency at the SWAH could also be scaled back.

Following a public meeting last Thursday night to kickstart the campaign to save services at the SWAH, a Steering Committee met on Monday and decided a mass protest on Friday, December 2, will be one of the next steps.

CCLA Councillor Donal O’Cofaigh organised the initial meeting last Thursday, and he said the next step for the new committee is to get the message about the threat to SWAH out to the communities.

“The Steering Committee will reach back to everyone that was at the earlier meeting and we will try and initiate a discussion and a dialogue in our communities around the impact that this decision could have on services at the SWAH,” he said.

“And our community as a whole [needs to be engaged with] and I think we need to make sure everyone understands the significance of what’s happening.

“It [any removal of services] will have an inevitable knock-on impact on other acute services at our hospital, and we need to mobilise as many people as we can for Friday, December 2.

“We need to demonstrate to the politicians and to the decision makers that are making these decisions our complete and implacable opposition to any threat to emergency surgery at the SWAH.

‘Long-term plan’

“[We need to express] our demand that there are special measures taken; direction given to sustain this service, and a long-term plan to sustain acute services at the SWAH for the future.”

Councillor O’Cofaigh also confirmed that with decisions being made in December, it is vital that the community show their strength in unity for the SWAH.

“The reason we are having this [mass protest then] is because we are hearing there are a number of dates being given following on from this.

“These could be critical, in terms of a decision being made, and I think it is very important that we have a large, strong, powerful showing of people in our area – a united community demanding access to essential emergency and acute services.

“I think that needs to go out before any decision is made, so those making the decision can recognise the strength of opposition to any threat to our local hospital services.”

The Western Trust said they had not confirmed any dates, and reiterated no decision over services has been made by the Trust Board or Department of Health.

They also said there would be minimal to no impact on other existing services at SWAH.