Skip to Main Content Skip to Site Map Skip to Accessibility Statement
Home News Western Trust begin stakeholder pre engagement meetings schedule

Western Trust begin stakeholder pre engagement meetings schedule

18/11/2025

South West Acute Hospital

Following correspondence received from SOAS, as part of the Trust’s ongoing open and transparent approach to informing our staff and the public, we are publishing this information on our information hub.

SOAS decline offer of Initial Meeting with Western Trust Executive

Following a considerable number of communications between SOAS and the Trust in recent weeks, SOAS declined the meeting with the Trust at 5pm on Thursday 20 November and they notified the Council that the meeting would not be going ahead. The Trust has not refused to meet with SOAS and indeed have asked the local group to reconsider and that the opportunity remains open to proceed with a meeting in the future with suggested balanced arrangements to include an agreed agenda, an independent chair without a prior public position on the SOAS Roadmap, and a non-livestreamed initial meeting. The Trust has also provided an option for both parties to be invited to Council to present equally there.

The Trust’s intention in requesting a first ever engagement meeting between the Trust Executive team and the SOAS committee has been to establish a constructive, balanced, and transparent basis for dialogue. We also recognise the strength of feeling within the community, and nothing in our correspondence with the group would ever be intended to diminish that.

A mutually agreed agenda is standard practice for any engagement of this nature. The items proposed by the Trust – such as patient outcomes, clinical standards, and workforce considerations – are integral information to the issues raised publicly by SOAS and are essential for an informed and transparent discussion.

Similarly, our suggestion of an independent chair for a specific engagement which required discussion on the SOAS Roadmap, could not be a chair who has a prior public position of endorsement on that Roadmap. This was intended to ensure impartiality and definitely not to exclude any individual or organisation and we have been very clear on this point with SOAS and the Chair of the Council, with whom we have a very good working relationship. Livestreaming is something we remain open to for future sessions, once an initial meeting has established a constructive foundation and again provides an engagement where we can begin to build a way of working at these meetings, together.

The Trust are publishing all correspondence between the Trust and SOAS as part of a clear and open, transparent communications and engagement process moving forward. This will be available on the Trust website here: Western Trust begin stakeholder pre engagement meetings schedule | Western Health & Social Care Trust

Correspondence between SOAS and the Western Trust can be found on the official Correspondence letters below:

The Western Trust has commenced a series of Stakeholder Pre Engagement Meetings as part of a new ‘Communications, Engagement and Information’ campaign throughout Fermanagh and West Tyrone. As part of Trust Board’s approach to ensure an open and transparent communications process, there will be a comprehensive pre-engagement programme carried out and this has initially involved meetings with Staff, Public Representatives, including Councils, MLAs and MPs. Media and other Stakeholder Groups who have engaged with the Trust.

Having met with the Fermanagh and Omagh Council Health and Social Care Sub-Committee in October, the Trust has also presented to Derry City and Strabane District Council on Thursday 13 November, following a presentation to the Council by SOAS previously. Engagement meetings have also been planned in the weeks ahead with the political party groups, where the Trust will present a range of detailed information, on the Trust’s new approach for Visioning work for ‘Future Health and Care Services in Fermanagh and West Tyrone’ and service information updates, including patient outcomes information under the emergency general surgery pathways.

In addition to Staff and Public Representative engagement meetings, there will also be a sequence of meetings with other key stakeholder groups who have written directly to the Trust and these include Fermanagh pressure group ‘Save Our Acute Services’ (SOAS), Business Leaders Groups and others.

Details of these planned engagements will follow on the new online Hub – Fermanagh and West Tyrone Future Health and Care Services | Western Health & Social Care Trust.

In particular, the Western Trust is very hopeful of having an initial engagement meeting with SOAS. The Group have submitted a wide range of enquiries and FOIs to the Trust over a period of time and the Trust has reached out to the SOAS Committee in the hope that a mutually agreeable engagement meeting could be setup to provide all up to date information from the Trust, talk through the Trust’s position on the SOAS Roadmap and talk through the list of concerns and enquiries which have been submitted.

Following correspondence received from SOAS, as part of the Trust’s ongoing open and transparent approach to informing our staff and the public, we are publishing this information on our information hub.

Correspondence between SOAS and the Western Trust can be found on the official Correspondence letters below:

To note: On 7 October 2025, the Trust Board formally agreed to close the Public Consultation and also approved the start of new work to design and develop a Vision Plan — a forward-looking programme that will focus on the people and places of Fermanagh and West Tyrone. Trust responses to all correspondence received prior to this date asking for the Trust’s next steps in this process, could only be issued following this decision.

 

WesternTrust moving forward on visioning work for ‘Future Health and Care Services in Fermanagh and West Tyrone’

On 7 October 2025, the Trust Board formally agreed to close the Public Consultation and also approved the start of new work to design and develop a Vision Plan — a forward-looking programme that will focus on the people and places of Fermanagh and West Tyrone. As requested by so many people and partners, including elected Representatives, this plan will need a meaningful period of engagement and listening sessions and will include specific work relating to the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).

Chief Executive, Neil Guckian stated:

“Firstly, I want to reaffirm our strong and ongoing commitment to the long-term sustainability and development of SWAH as a vital and successful hospital within the Health and Social Care (HSC) regional network. This commitment has been clearly supported by the Department of Health and by the Minister. We will continue to work with all relevant partners and stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of local health and care needs, and to listen to the community on the future of healthcare in Fermanagh and West Tyrone. We intend to take a whole-system view — spanning hospital, community and primary care — with SWAH as an integral part of that vision. I have already offered to meet with the SOAS Executive and would welcome that engagement as part of this process.”

The forthcoming work will be informed by the earlier Fermanagh and West Tyrone Pathfinder project. Pathfinder was seen as an excellent example of positive and meaningful engagement with our local population, with 62 engagement sessions at community venues with contributions from more than 2,200 people. Although that work took place before the pandemic, it provided valuable insights into local needs and priorities, particularly the importance of community, mental health, and primary care services. These areas will continue to be important in our long-term planning.

Click Here to keep up to date with information, features and FAQs as the Trust develops the information campaign in the Fermanagh and West Tyrone area in the months ahead:

More News

More News