A tetchy exchange around photography between a local hospital campaigning group and the health minister broke out on social media last week.

Mike Nesbitt said that photographs taken during the meeting in Enniskillen and later posted on social media were taken "sneakily and "surreptitiously".

Last Wednesday as part of a visit to Fermanagh, the Minister Nesbitt visited a number of different services as well as meeting with groups including the Save Our Acute Services group.  Following the engagement, SOAS posted photographs and a statement on social media.  

All of those photographed are not looking at the camera, nor do they seem aware of it and in most cases, they are pictured with their head down reading documents or listening to the discussion.

In now-deleted posts on social media sites including X [formally Twitter], a post from the Save Our Acute Services [SOAS] shared the photographs and stated: “Save our Acute Services met today with a delegation which included the Minister for Health and his advisor and department of health officials.

“We apologise for the very poor quality of the photographs, but time was very pressurised.

“We very much look forward to hearing back from Mr. Nesbitt.

"We again all discussed the importance of RQIA service review which is currently taking place.”

In a reply to the post on X from SOAS, Minister Nesbitt said: “I was glad I agreed to meet SaveourSWAH services, but in the interest of factual accuracy, time had nothing to do with the quality of the photography. SOAS did not ask for agreement for the photographs to be taken. I consider that very bad form.

In a follow-up post, he said: “To be clear, the photos were taken sneakily and surreptitiously and without permission. Why didn’t they just ask for permission? I wouldn’t have had a problem with that.”

The Impartial Reporter asked Save Our Acute Services about the photographs that were posted online and later deleted in addition to asking questions regarding the meeting. But the group did not answer the question. Instead, a spokeswoman for the group sent a link to a social media post with the following statement: “We were delighted to meet with the new health minister this week. We presented our material evidencing risks around patient safety and staff well-being.

“As a campaign, we respectfully do not disclose what is discussed in the room.

“Our focus remains as always on saving lives through the restoration of emergency surgery and highlighting patient safety and staff well-being issues.”

Asked about the meeting, Minister Nesbitt said in a statement that it was an opportunity "to hear the concerns of SOAS and to update them on regional policies which will support the rebuild of capacity at SWAH and provide sustainability for the future".

"These policies include the development of Elective Overnight Stay Centres (EOSCs), the Review of General Surgery, and the Reconfiguration Framework.”

He declined to discuss the content of the discussion, saying: "These were private meetings and a wide range of issues were discussed".

Minister Nesbitt also visited the SWAH Elective Overnight Stay Centre (EOSC), explaining that it is providing "much-needed services for our long-waiting patients".

During his time at SWAH, the Minister acknowledged the challenges faced by social workers in rural Fermanagh and praised the innovative work being undertaken by Children’s Social Work Services and the Hospital Discharge team.

"Since taking up office, I have taken every opportunity to talk directly to as many frontline staff as possible across health and social care, and I was pleased to have time at the SWAH to meet a group of Social Work staff."

He also visited Killadeas Day Centre and Brooke House. Addressing concerns of General Practice, Minister Nesbitt then met with the South West GP Federation. He said he recognised the pressures faced by GP Practices and the importance of their role in health and social care.

"I have made clear that General Practice continues to be a pivotal part of health and social care in Northern Ireland. I recognise the key role that GP Practices and GP Federations play in the provision of safe, effective services to their patients and communities," he remarked.