Local MLAs have co-signed a letter to the Northern Ireland Secretary of State voicing their concerns about the future of Emergency General Surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).

Sinn Féin’s Jemma Dolan, Tom Elliott of the UUP, the DUP’s Deborah Erskine and the SDLP’s Daniel McCrossan signed the letter which claims the collapse of the service “has been exacerbated by the actions, or rather inaction at times from the Western Trust”.

Ms Dolan, Mr. Elliott and Mrs. Erskine were recently announced by the Western Trust as members of an all-party group for the SWAH as part of a campaign to promote the hospital.

“As elected representatives, we are all in collective agreement that aspects of our local health and social care system are in dire need of reform in order to provide safe and sustainable care to patients,” the letter stated.

“What is currently happening at the SWAH however is not at all an example of service transformation – rather, it is a service collapse that unfortunately we believe has been exacerbated by the actions, or rather inaction at times, from the Western Trust.”

They said they were becoming increasingly concerned with the “often mixed messaging coming from the Western Trust and the increasing prospect of other significant clinical consequences at the hospital”.

Continuing, the letter raised concerns over the level of oversight in which the Department of Health and Strategic Planning and Performance Group within it are retaining over the issue.

“In the absence of a Minister [for Health] we currently are not in receipt of the assurances necessary in order to retain ongoing confidence in the current public consultation.

“We appreciate the competing demands on your time; however, in the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive, we have been urged by several stakeholders locally to seek a meeting with you to bring the matter facing emergency general surgery at the SWAH to your attention.”

These latest concerns around the Trust’s handling of emergency general surgery at the SWAH follows call from councillors for the Western Trust Board to resign.

When asked whether any of the Board would be following such calls from the letter, a Western Trust spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are not on resignations but on how we can ensure that the community of Fermanagh and West Tyrone have access to safe and sustainable emergency general surgery.

“The Trust has carried out a comprehensive engagement programme with public representatives, the Council, MLAs and MPs on this matter since it was announced.

“This has been in addition to initiating an all-party group for the SWAH in January which has MLA representation from the five main parties in the Western Trust area, and there have been two meetings, to date, with the group since it was established.

‘Discussed in detail’

“Any concerns raised by MLAs at the meetings have been discussed in detail and the Western Trust continues to engage on any issues arising on an ongoing basis at these meetings.”

A Department of Health spokesperson confirmed the Department is aware of the letter, and had proposed a meeting between the MLAs, the Western Trust and the Department to discuss the issues raised in it.

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