21/06/2022
The South West Acute Hospital has reached its tenth birthday today Tuesday (21 June 2022) and to mark this significant milestone staff held a special thanksgiving service led by the hospital chaplains.
We welcomed the three babies born on the day the hospital opened; Shea Maguire, Ava Crowell and Hannah Shannon, along with their parents and the midwifery staff who helped deliver them ten years ago, to help us cut a special 10th Birthday Cake.
Western Trust Chief Executive, Neil Guckian speaking about the occasion said:
“This is a very special milestone in the life of the South West Acute Hospital. On behalf of the Western Trust Board, I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of our staff at the Hospital for their dedication and commitment and pay tribute to their remarkable strength and resilience in delivering an exceptionally high quality service and for improving the lives of patients. We have faced many challenges particularly over the past two years in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and our staff have been real heroes during this time.”
“Our staff have demonstrated their innovation, skill and knowledge right across the hospital with many receiving accolades for their continued commitment to ensuring better outcomes for their patients. This includes the Hospital At Home service; the Test of Change Pilot for Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeries; UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold Accreditation and the relocation of the Human Milk Bank service.”
The £276million state-of-the-art Hospital operated by the Western Trust opened its doors on the 21 June 2012. With approximately 12,363 babies delivered, 87,725 day procedure cases and 332,930 Emergency Department attendances the hospital has had a very busy and successful first ten years.
Anne Donaghey, Assistant Director of Acute Services commented:
“The South West Acute Hospital has delivered on a promise to bring vital care and treatment to thousands of patients throughout Fermanagh and Tyrone and beyond. The facilities at the hospital are fantastic and we are immensely proud of the dedication and commitment of our incredible staff. The hospital is seeing vast numbers of patients and is very popular with staff and patients. The hospital is offering a highly valuable service to both the local community and across Northern Ireland.
“This really is a wonderful time for staff working in the South West Acute Hospital to mark this major milestone. We hope our hospital will continue to develop over the coming years as we evolve to meet the needs of not just our local population but patients from around the Region.”