11/06/2026
The Western Trust has today received the RQIA Inspection Report following an unannounced inspection of Emergency General Surgery services undertaken between 12 November 2025 and 19 February 2026.
Karen Hargan, Chief Executive, Western Trust, said:
“We welcome the publication of the RQIA inspection report, and its recognition of the significant progress made across our Emergency General Surgery pathways, including improvements in patient flow, clinical outcomes and patient safety.
The findings complement the independent CHKS review, which confirmed improved outcomes and a significant reduction in mortality following the service changes. The report also recognises the Trust’s achievement where 97% of patients requiring transfer from South West Acute Hospital are admitted directly to an inpatient surgical bed in Altnagelvin Hospital.
In addition, an average of 5.6 patients per day with emergency general surgery-related conditions continue to receive same-day or next-day treatment through the Emergency Surgical Ambulatory Assessment Unit at South West Acute Hospital, while an average of 2.5 patients per day require transfer for inpatient admission to Altnagelvin Hospital.
We remain committed to maintaining safe, effective and sustainable services for our population and welcome the recommendations identified by RQIA. We will continue to work closely with RQIA, our staff and partner organisations to implement these improvements and ensure the highest standards of care for patients across the Western Trust area.”
The RQIA Statement and Report is available on the RQIA Website here: RQIA publishes Report of Inspection of the Emergency General Surgery (EGS) Pathways in the Western Trust, following the temporary suspension of services at SWAH | Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
Further information on Emergency General Surgery in the Western Trust
The temporary suspension of Emergency General Surgery at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) was implemented as an emergency measure and a matter of public safety in December 2022. This was due to significant and ongoing difficulties in recruiting and retaining the required consultant workforce, which meant that there were no substantive consultant general surgeons available to work on the emergency rota at the Hospital. This position was further influenced by the introduction of revised Emergency General Surgery Safety Standards by the Department of Health in June 2022.
All Trusts in Northern Ireland participate in independent benchmarking through CHKS (Caspe Healthcare Knowledge Systems) which analyses clinical data to assess outcomes including mortality, complications, readmissions, efficiency, safety, and quality.
This most recent CHKS Independent Review (January 2026) and analysis has confirmed improved outcomes for Western Trust patients relating to the period December 2022 through to April 2025 (2 years and 5 months), showing that *Mortality has reduced by 24%, Complications have reduced by 28.5% and Readmissions have reduced by 22.5%.
These measurements reflect an improving picture in providing safer care and better recovery outcomes for patients across the Western Trust area. The CHKS have concluded:
“Overall, the data shows a clear and statistically significant reduction in mortality rate for emergency surgery patients following the revision to surgical services.”
The Trust is fully compliant with the revised Department of Health Emergency General Surgery standards introduced in June 2022. These standards were designed to ensure that patients across Northern Ireland receive safe, specialist emergency surgical care, regardless of where they live.
Compliance has required a significant transformation of the Trust’s Consultant Workforce and the establishment of a 24/7 Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Pathway.
“We recognise that this remains a sensitive issue for many people. Our responsibility is to ensure that services are safe, sustainable and we deliver the best possible outcomes for the population we serve and this independent evidence shows improved survival outcomes for patients requiring Emergency General Surgery.”
The Western Trust have provided all relevant information on Emergency General Surgery online: Independent Review confirms “significant reduction” in Mortality following changes to Emergency General Surgery | Western Health & Social Care Trust