![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"PA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6db37c10-628f-11f0-959c-eb00dc4884fb.jpg.webp.webp\")
PA Media<\/p>\nPA Media<\/p>\n
Mike Nesbitt wrote to the Western Trust requesting a pause<\/p>\n
The health minister has called on the Western Health Trust to pause its consultation on the future of emergency general surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (Swah).<\/p>\n
Emergency general surgery was temporarily suspended at the Enniskillen hospital in December 2022, with some patients from Fermanagh and Tyrone having to travel to Londonderry, an hour and a half’s drive away.<\/p>\n
On 3 July the Western Trust’s board agreed to consult on the permanent removal of the service from Swah.<\/p>\n
The Department of Health has confirmed Mike Nesbitt has written to the Western Trust asking it to pause the consultation, as first reported by the Impartial Reporter.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the department said the consultation was a matter for the trust, but any permanent change to emergency general surgery at Swah in the future would require approval from the health minister.<\/p>\n
“The minister has been very aware of the ongoing and repeated challenges with the delivery of the recent consultation exercise,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“He engaged directly with the trust on the matter last week to discuss a number of concerns.<\/p>\n
“Any change in service provision, and especially any proposed permanent changes, must always be guided by a clear desire to deliver and ensure better outcomes.<\/p>\n
“The minister has asked the trust to use this time to act quickly to restore confidence by producing a vision plan emphasising how the South West Acute Hospital will be supported to meet both the needs of its current and future population.”<\/p>\n
![\"Pacemaker](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/a7d7e4a0-628d-11f0-83d2-4f671b8c1523.jpg.webp.webp\")
Pacemaker<\/p>\n
General surgery at the South West Acute Hospital was halted in December 2022<\/p>\n
Concerns about the consultation process had been raised by the Patient and Client Council (PCC), a body which represents the interests of the public in the health and social care system in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
In a letter sent to the campaign group Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) earlier in July, the PCC said it was “disappointed with how PCC’s early conversation with the trust has been reflected in response to concerns about the consultation, including in the media”.<\/p>\n
It said it had met with trust representatives on a “single occasion” In May 2025 ” to provide early advice on best practice approaches to public involvement and engagement, in line with our statutory remit”.<\/p>\n
SOAS previously described the decision to consult on removing emergency general surgery as “absolutely disgusting”.<\/p>\n
A consultation event which was due to be held on Tuesday in the Killyhevlin Hotel was postponed.<\/p>\n
The Western Trust said it took the decision due to the “anticipated numbers registering to attend and in the interests of public safety”.<\/p>\n
Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Pat Cullen said Nesbitt’s intervention “comes as no real surprise “.<\/p>\n
“The public were left feeling that their concerns and experiences were not being listened to,” the Sinn F\u00e9in politician said.<\/p>\n
“The onus is now on the Western Trust to rebuild public confidence and listen to them.<\/p>\n
“They also need to produce a plan for Swah which outlines how it will be supported to meet the needs of the community and the future population.”<\/p>\n
Why was the consultation taking place?<\/p>\n
In June 2022 in a review of general surgery across Northern Ireland, the Health Department listed six key provisions that must be met to ensure that health trusts offered a safe service.<\/p>\n
These include providing a workforce, a process and protocols which deliver a safe service, as well as quality assurance to monitor and gauge the provision of services.<\/p>\n
Without all six in place, a hospital could not be expected to deliver emergency general surgery.<\/p>\n
Emergency general surgery was then temporarily suspended at Swah in December of that year.<\/p>\n
At the time, the Western Trust said the suspension was necessary to protect the public’s safety after it had problems recruiting surgical staff.<\/p>\n
At a trust board meeting at the start of July when the consultation was agreed to, the board was told it was”no longer possible to meet important safety standards at the Swah”.<\/p>\n
Campaigners said the loss of services and the distance and travel time, as well as poor transport infrastructure, put lives at risk.<\/p>\n