A RETIRED Fermanagh doctor is encouraging people to “stand up” against the threats to close the South West Acute Hospital’s (SWAH) “stellar” Stroke Unit which provided his wife with “excellent quality care” after she had a stroke earlier this year.

Liz Caithness, who works as a treatment room nurse at a GP surgery in Enniskillen, was taken to A&E at the SWAH by her husband, Dr. Julian Caithness, when he realised that she was experiencing stroke symptoms on the evening of February 14.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Julian recalled the moment that he realised that Liz was unwell.

“It was a Sunday evening and we were sitting together in my study, I was on the computer and she was reading a book. We would just chat occasionally and she was saying peculiar things – the things she started saying just weren’t making sense.

“As I’m a doctor myself, I started to wonder was this neurological, so I took her up to A&E and it was. It was what they call ‘dysphasia’, an early sign of a stroke,” he explained.

“This was on a Sunday evening – not a good time to be having an emergency, really; staff levels may be lower, and the staff could be tired.

“But I needn’t have worried – the Stroke Unit team went into action straightaway. The consultant neurologist saw her immediately; she had a scan and was admitted,” said Julian.

Unfortunately, Liz’s stroke became much worse, and she was taken up to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for emergency surgery.

“It was a successful operation but a further complication developed, and she had to have a second operation,” said Julian. Following her second operation, Liz was brought back to the Stroke Unit at the SWAH, where she had to stay in hospital for four weeks.

As visiting at SWAH was restricted due to Covid-19, Julian was unable to visit Liz whilst she was being treated in hospital. “It was terrible, and she couldn’t manage the phone, so I couldn’t even phone her,” said Julian contemplating this difficult time.

He added: “We did find some really helpful people who did their best to help us communicate.”

On March 10, Liz was able to leave hospital and is now continuing to receive treatment at home.

“She has made great progress, and we are very hopeful that she will make a very complete recovery,” said Julian.

Following Liz’s experience, Julian can’t speak highly enough of the Stroke Unit at the SWAH. “Liz has been attended by a superb team of highly-competent, caring, delightful professionals. There is someone to attend to her every possible need: specialist doctors, nurses, including a Stroke Nurse who calls on her at home, psychologists, speech therapists, dietitians, occupational therapists – the list goes on,” said Julian.

He continued: “The unit is very busy; I have been astonished to discover how common strokes are. The staff, of course, are having to battle with Covid-19, but their work goes on undaunted; nothing is too much trouble for them.”

Acknowledging the ongoing threat to close the Stroke Unit at SWAH, Julian added: “From my perspective, this seems like an utterly insane idea.

“We all know now that speed is crucial in stroke care. We all know how desperate strokes can be, if treatment does not go well. Our Stroke Unit attains some of the best outcomes anywhere.”

Commenting that he hopes people will “stand up” for the Stroke Unit at the SWAH “to make sure the closure never happens”, Julian added: “I feel quite certain that Liz couldn’t possibly have done so well if there had been no unit at the SWAH.”