Community action continues in Fermanagh this Friday in the fight to retain services at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) with a public meeting.

It follows on from the hugely successful 'Ring of Steel' event around the SWAH last Saturday, November 26, and campaign group Save our Acute Services (SOAS) has called on the local community once again to mobilise for the meeting at 7pm in the Lakeland Forum.

The campaign has written to invite elected representatives from all political parties in the county to speak and commit publicly to the retention of emergency general surgery, and wider acute services, at the SWAH.

"The rally is being held against a backdrop of mounting revelations which directly challenge Western Health and Social Care Trust (The Trust) management assurances over wider acute services," a SOAS spokesperson said.

"The announced ‘temporary’ suspension of emergency general surgery at the hospital has been followed by a number of consultants in acute specialisms either resigning or actively seeking employment elsewhere – resulting in growing uncertainty over their sustainability.

"A recent press response by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology directly contradicted a statement by the the Trust's Chief Executive to the local Council that he had consulted with that body over measures needed to protect maternity services."

The spokesperson for SOAS challenged the Trust's management, saying: “Last Saturday, a thousand people gathered despite inclement conditions to put a ring of steel around ‘our’ hospital.

"In so doing, they showed our determination to fight for this service. The attendance at the event and the dignity of this large, cross-community gathering should show the Trust that we mean business.

“We believe the Trust has misled the politicians and public. SOAS will use all available mechanisms to call into question whether this unplanned collapse is simply poor human resourcing or a cynically planned crisis.

“The Trust’s assurances are rapidly unravelling. There is a growing awareness by both the public and politicians that they are being played by Trust management," claimed the spokesperson..

They added: "This poses obvious questions for confidence in the mitigations they have identified to protect wider acute services. We simply can not trust the Trust.”

Raising the upcoming rally at the Forum, the spokesperson said it was a chance "for the public to demand action from the politicians".

They continued: "The politicians need to step up and guarantee access to basic life-saving health services. The people of Fermanagh have a right to access health services just like anywhere else.

"At root, where health services are based is a political decision, and the politicians can change the dynamic by coming out in defence of SWAH services. They must now do this.

“The only temporary measure that the people of Fermanagh need is the provision of ‘special measures’ with a regional rota-based recruitment put in place to sustain emergency general surgery until we can recruit to stabilise this vital service.

"This regime was in place as late as 2020, and there is no reason we can’t see it return.

"We now need the politicians of all parties to make it clear that this is the only acceptable outcome.

“We are calling on the public to make this Friday a demonstration of people-power; to show that the Fermanagh community will not be walked over.

"Any move to remove emergency general surgery at the SWAH, with all that will mean for acute services, is against the overwhelming will of our community, and without any democratic mandate whatsoever.

"It is just not acceptable and must be reversed.”