More than 30,000 signatures from people across the length and breadth of Fermanagh supporting Save Our Acute Services's (SOAS) Five-Point Plan for the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) were handed over to Western Trust representatives on Wednesday.

Toni Johnson MBE, one of the driving forces behind the collection of signatures, was there and believes the 30 boxes full of support for the plan shows the people of Fermanagh will not be treated as 'second-class citizens' and they want their voice heard.

The public consultation on the suspension of emergency general surgery at the SWAH is due to close on April 10, and as the boxes were being handed over to Seamus Ward and Bronagh McMonagle, from the Trust's Health Improvement Team, SOAS's Chairman, Reggie Ferguson, told them: "This is your answer. Please take these away, think about and do what we are telling you to do."

This was met with a round of applause from all those involved in the campaign – as well as from some hospital staff watching on.

The 30,000-plus signatures were collected over a two-week period following SOAS's launch of their Five-Point Plan, which includes a call for the creation of a new Health Trust for the South West of Northern Ireland.

Toni felt it was vital that the campaign did something to reignite the fight in the community.

"Over Christmas, after we did the 'ring of steel' around the hospital, we lost impetus a bit because people got despondent about it [the issues around the SWAH], and we knew we had to get people back on our side again – and it has been incredible!

"I mean, we have been everywhere, and it really has been such an experience for the people that are doing this."

The Western Trust's Chief Executive, Neil Guckian, has said he would listen to ideas from the public on how to do things differently, and on how to stop the loss of emergency general surgery from the SWAH, and Toni feels the Five-Point Plan does just that.

"I think the idea of the Five-Point Plan is lovely, because you are giving [suggested structure] back to the people that decided that we couldn’t have the emergency surgery [at the SWAH].

"You're giving back to them, 'Yes we can – and this is how we can do it', and I think that has been very good, and I think that has been one of the things that has been a winner in this."

Praising the women who alongside her were out and about in shops, community centres and anywhere else where they could get the public's signatures, Toni said the huge amount of signatures sends a strong message to the Western Trust's management.

"It says to them we are not second-class citizens down here. We care about this; it [retaining SWAH services] is important for us – important in my case, for my grandchildren, for everybody.

"It is very important we work together on this. I think it’s amazing."

And she added that the work does not stop here. The community will want to know what the Trust are doing with their responses, while letters to the Department of Health Permanent Secretary, Peter May, are due to be sent in the coming weeks.

"The people in the Fermanagh area deserve to be listened to, and they will want to know what is happening now.

"They are going to have to take these, think about what to do, and get on with it."