Campaign group seek meeting with the Trust
THE Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) campaign group are seeking an urgent meeting with the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust).
Speaking at a recent meeting of the group in Enniskillen on Monday, November 14, the Chairman of SOAS – Reggie Ferguson – stated that there has been a Trust-wide problem with both recruitment and staff retention for some time at consultant level.
He said that until a review of surgical services is available for public consultation, the proposed interim service and staff reconfiguration in the SWAH must be immediately deferred.
Speaking further at the meeting, he said: “Failing that, we are calling for the direct management of the SWAH under special measures by the Department of Health, and that a regional recruitment strategy is adopted immediately, similar to that employed effectively during the Covid-19 crisis in 2020.”
Also speaking at the meeting, SOAS Secretary Helen Hamill said the group wanted to ensure that any review will not be pre-empted by an irreversible recruitment strategy that could cause a domino effect, leading to the loss of other acute and essential clinical services.
She said: “Our immediate concern is to ensure that no decisions are taken at any managerial level that could result in a ‘fait accompli’ which may impact on the strategic decisions that have to be taken, and consulted on, regarding the provision of emergency [acute] surgical services.
“We are seeking to save our acute services – and augment them if we can – whilst calling on the Trust not to take any detrimental action until the review is carried out.
“In our letter to the Trust, we indicated that we wanted to work constructively with the Trust Board to improve communication, consultation, and co-production, but that this was difficult, given the lack of any representation from the southwest on the Trust Board which would give [a] voice to the wishes of the people in this area.”
She added: “We are still awaiting a response from the Trust to our letter.”