Fermanagh and Omagh District Council councillors have expressed their disappointment at a bleak response to concerns around funding cuts to GP Elective services, and have moved to write back seeking a review in terms of rural impact, while also exploring legal options.

Last month, the Council wrote to the Department of Health Permanent Secretary, Peter May, seeking clarity on the cuts, including why women’s health services in Lisnaskea were particularly affected.

He replied: “While the Department recognises the value of the Primary Care Elective Services, regrettably, it is facing a significant funding gap and budgetary pressures are impacting on the delivery of many health and social care services.

“In the face of these funding constraints, and in the absence of recurrent funding, options to sustain these services had to be developed and assessed.”

The response continued: “Unfortunately, it was necessary to scale back services in 2023/24 in line with the funding available, including the services relating to women’s health across Northern Ireland.

“Regrettably, I am unable to provide any assurances that the financial situation will change over the coming months, or in 24/25.

“The Department remains committed to the delivery of all GP Elective Services across Northern Ireland, and continues to work with GPs to enable continuation of all pathways within the available funding.”

Independent Councillor Josephine Deehan voiced “great disappointment and regret” at the response.

She stated: “This Council expressed concern regarding the impact on the delivery of services.

“I highlighted how GP-provided vasectomy services have now been completely removed, and it’s not possible to refer men for this.

“That, in effect, means women bear full responsibility for addressing family planning in relationships.

“While I accept Mr. May does have to address budgetary pressures, there’s no indication if he is really considering the needs of patients. He seems to be unaware of the very significant contributions that GP-provided services can have in addressing patient need.

“The removal of funding for vasectomy services, and the reduction of funding for others, including women’s health, will impact very significantly on waiting lists for secondary care and ultimately reduce the quality of health care delivery to our constituents.”

‘Questions’

Sinn Féin’s Councillor Noeleen Hayes told members the letter “didn’t really address the questions we asked specifically about women’s services being targeted in this area”.

She continued: “Everyone, of course, understands how the health budget has been cruelly cut to the bone by the Westminster Tory government, but I would like to further ask the Department as to the disproportionate effects on the rural community, or if any rural impact assessment was taken into consideration when imposing a sweeping 50 per cent cut to this service.

“That has a more devastating impact than the same cut [to], for example, the Belfast area, because we already have the worst access to these services across the North.

“If you combine that with the lack of public transport, rural isolation and the highest poverty levels, the effects are felt more deeply and have a more detrimental impact.

“In Lisnaskea Health Centre, there is only one GP who specialises in women’s health, and she has to cover all of South Fermanagh and some of South Tyrone.

“Cutting funding has caused waiting lists to immediately jump from an average of nine months – which was bad enough – to 18 months.

“Demand for the service is increasing, even for simple procedures. It doesn’t make any economic sense.”

She proposed writing back to the Department seeking a review of cuts from a rural impact perspective.

Seconding, party colleague, Councillor Sheamus Greene, said: “It’s probably unfortunately not an unexpected reply. Again, it seems the rural West, and Fermanagh in particular, gets the worst of every outcome.”

He enquired if there is a legal route to question the cuts as “there isn’t [an] equality in the Health Service we are entitled to. It’s our right.

“If services are being filled in the big urban areas that we don’t have, surely we are being discriminated against?”

‘Lack of accountability’

Councillor Adam Gannon, SDLP, added: “These cuts are terrible for the community and people in the rural areas, but it’s very regrettable that we don’t have ministers to address funding issues. They should be decided by our elected representatives, not by civil servants.

“There’s a serious lack of accountability at the moment caused by the Stormont boycott. We need people we can properly and effectively lobby.

“Civil servants and Permanent Secretaries don’t often listen to us.

“Ministers, no matter which party they are from, and whether they agree or disagree with us, normally do respond.”

The proposal passed unanimously, and Chief Executive Alison McCullagh advised an update on the legal aspect suggested by Councillor Greene will be provided in due course.