07/10/2025
The Western Trust Board has met to discuss the recent pause to the Public Consultation on the permanent change to Emergency General Surgery in the Western Trust.
Trust Board has taken the decision to close this current Public Consultation and will now move forward on visioning work for ‘Future Health and Care Services in Fermanagh and West Tyrone’.
In July 2025, the Health Minister asked the Trust to end the current consultation and begin the process of producing a vision plan, emphasising how the South West Acute Hospital will meet the health needs of its current and future population.
Following the Trust Board decision, Chief Executive Neil Guckian commented,
“Since pausing the Public Consultation, we have reflected on what we have heard and it is important that I acknowledge the tremendous depth of feeling and concerns raised by people who have written to us and spoken to us directly.
“As Chief Executive, I accept that there were flaws in our planned process. The previous process from the public’s perspective felt rushed and we should have spent more time engaging with the local community before the launch of the consultation process. The timing of the public events was wrong, and we underestimated the number of people who would want to attend our public meeting in Fermanagh.
“We have apologised for these shortfalls and the fact that they caused a lot of unnecessary anxiety and uncertainty. We will learn from this moving forward as we develop our plans for the period ahead.
“We are steadfast in our commitment to the long-term sustainability and development of South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) as a vital and successful hospital within the HSC regional network of hospitals. We will now work with all relevant stakeholders to develop a clear vision for health and social care provision in Fermanagh and West Tyrone, including SWAH as an integral part of how we serve this community.
“This detailed analysis will focus on ‘Future Health Services in Fermanagh and West Tyrone’ which will be informed by population needs and will build on the Fermanagh and West Tyrone Pathfinder engagement previously undertaken. Pathfinder was seen as an excellent example of positive and meaningful engagement with our local population. The feedback was very useful and highlighted a very clear focus by the majority of service users on community services. Moving forward with this vision planning it will be crucial to plan for a strong community aspect to services to support SWAH.
“Careful consideration will also be given to key strands of policy and research (see note (b) below) which will help shape the strategic and policy framework going forward.
“In recent weeks, the Trust has received and collated many views and opinions from a wide range of stakeholders including Save Our Acute Services (SOAS). This will all help to inform and influence work to develop the vision, ensuring that the approach is shaped by the needs and experience of patients, clients, carers and communities. We will work closely with our staff, trade unions, community leaders, elected representatives and the public and there will also be discussion on areas for potential future collaboration with the Health Service Executive, Republic of Ireland (HSE).”
SWAH remains an Acute Hospital with a type 1 Emergency Department
The Department of Health and the Minister have re-iterated that SWAH will have a critical role to play going forward and will continue to provide services to patients not just across Fermanagh and parts of Tyrone but across Northern Ireland. SWAH remains an important Acute Hospital within the NI hospital network and its acute services provision has not changed. SWAH provides a 24/7 Type 1 Emergency Department, maternity services (Obs and Gynae), full resuscitation facilities and ICU, in addition to being a part of the major trauma network.
Chief Executive Neil Guckian confirmed that while work to complete the vision is carried out, the temporary suspension of Emergency General Surgery (EGS) at SWAH, in place since December 2022, will continue to remain in place.
“To date the independent analysis shows that after the temporary change, patients in the Western Trust who have had emergency general surgery have improved outcomes with decreased mortality, a lower surgical complication rate and a lower rate of re-admission after discharge. We want to reassure the public that the clinical pathways in place are in line with all required clinical standards and they continue to be monitored carefully.”
The Western Trust is currently developing a comprehensive communications programme to help better inform staff and the public and this will be implemented alongside the stakeholder engagement programme in the months ahead.