A HEALTH campaign group has been challenged on its messaging regarding the temporary suspension of Parkinson's clinics in Fermanagh.

According to the Western Trust, the Parkinson's clinic at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) has been temporarily closed due to staffing pressures but will resume in Autumn.

However, in a recent comment on The Impartial Reporter's Facebook page, Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) wrote: "We have been advised today that the clinic for Parkinson's in SWAH has been discontinued indefinitely."

The issue was also discussed at a SOAS public meeting held on Thursday night, where again no reference to the temporary closure was made.

An attendee said: "I was speaking with an elderly man today who had Parkinson's, and he said that they were closing all the clinics."

This was met with agreement by members of the SOAS committee.

SOAS Secretary, Helen Hamill, said: "The Parkinson's service has been removed. And do you know what they [Western Trust] said?

"They have said, 'We can't find a doctor', which is quite ironic, because there are three neurologists who work in Derry."

When contacted by this newspaper in relation to the clinic, the Western Trust said: "One doctor is currently on reduced hours of work; however, the Trust plans to resume the Parkinson’s clinics at SWAH in the autumn when staff are returned to work."

When asked for a specific date, the spokesman continued: "I can confirm that the Parkinson’s clinics are expected to resume by the end of September, 2024."

At the SOAS meeting, The Impartial Reporter asked the group to confirm if the Parkinson's clinics had been "discontinued", or if it was instead an "interim" measure.

However, in response, SOAS Press Officer Donal O'Cofaigh said that the group wouldn't respond as the question wasn't relevant to the upcoming review by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).

Mr. O'Cofaigh had previously advised that questions relate only to the review; but discussions around the original purpose of the SWAH, Rosslea surgery, and railways in Fermanagh had been facilitated.

A follow-up query was sent via email asking SOAS to clarify why it had not communicated, both on social media and during a public meeting, that the closure of Parkinson's clinics was temporary.

A response from the group read: "As you will be aware it is coming up to two years since the same Trust bosses 'temporarily' shut down emergency general surgery at SWAH.

"We have no confidence in the words of the Trust. We know that temporary or interim arrangements become permanent if there is no opposition.

"We know that this service has been removed leaving people without access with no timeframe for restoration."

The response continued: "The information we raised that this service had been withdrawn indefinitely was provided to us by trusted, medical professionals.

"We have full confidence in them and what they told us turned out to be accurate.

"As a voluntary campaign group, it was left to us to reveal the loss of this service to the public."