Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has made seven requests to meet with the then Minister for Health Robin Swann over five months – none of which have been acknowledged – leading one member to suggest “a level of disdain”.

The figure was disclosed as members expressed concerns over the current situation at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) and again sought a meeting with the Minister; however, while a response was finally received on October 24, it referred to a different request, and urged a further invitation be submitted.

In a letter to the Minister, the Council reiterated the request for an urgent meeting to discuss the future of emergency surgical services at the SWAH and pointed to multiple previous similar requests for meetings on a variety of health-related matters.

It continued: “Since June, 2022, the Council have sent you various letters, including seven requests  for meetings, which, to date, have not been acknowledged.”

Members expressed “formal concern at their perception about your apparent unwillingness to engage with the Council”.

The short reply, sent by the Minister’s Assistant Diary Secretary, read: “Given the current political uncertainty and the impending deadline for the formation of a new Northern Ireland Executive, I would be grateful if you could send the invitation again after October 28.”

Chief Executive Alison McCullagh explained: “The first reference [was] to the withdrawal of surgical services at [the] SWAH on October 4, 2022.

“It was also discussed at the Environmental Services Committee on October 5 and the first letter specifically seeking a meeting on this issue was on October 7.

“For some reasons, the only letter referenced [in the Department’s response] was the Special Meeting held on October 21.”

Independent Councillor Emmet McAleer remarked: “The fact [is that it] isn’t even the Diary Secretary but the Assistant Diary Secretary to Robin Swann [who responded to this Council].

“I don’t know how many diaries he [Mr. Swann] needs to keep. I would have expected something better than this response.”

Councillor Donal O’Cofaigh, CCLA, agreed, deeming the correspondence “most disappointing”.

He continued: “It seems we are held with some level of disdain as a council. The fact [is] that we have now on seven occasions sought a meeting and nothing has come back but [the Council was] told to re-write when there’s a new Minister [for Health] in place.

“The likelihood is there may not be a Minister in place for a long, long period of time, potentially.”

He concluded by warning: “The absence of government may provide a threshold for which all sorts of very reactionary, dangerous decisions are enforced.

“People need to have their force felt. If the Department doesn’t want to meet us, they will hear us regardless.”