AQW 13800/22-27

Miss Áine Murphy
Sinn Féin
Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Tabled Date: 25/06/2024
Answered On Date: 01/07/2024
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, pursuant to AQW 11974/22-27, whether the six recruited consultant surgeons will be deployed as part of plans to reinstate emergency general surgery at the South West Acute Hospital.

Answer:

The Western HSC Trust is moving towards recruiting eleven whole time equivalent general surgeons. The consultant general surgeons recruited to date have been appointed to Trust-wide contracts and are contracted to work across all sites, including the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH). All consultants will be part of Trust-wide job planning, which will include sessions in the Elective Overnight Stay Centre in the SWAH, in Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex theatres and in Altnagelvin Hospital.

In November 2022, the Western HSC Trust made the decision to suspend Emergency General Surgery in the SWAH for patient safety reasons. This was due to consultant workforce pressures and inability to sustain the Emergency General Surgery rota. In line with Change and Withdrawal of Services Guidance, the Western HSC Trust is considering the future position of Emergency General Surgery across the Trust.

The Western HSC Trust, supported by my Department, remains committed to the long-term sustainability and development of the SWAH. This includes building elective capacity, developing a safe and sustainable model for general surgery across the Trust, working collaboratively at local and regional level to identify opportunities for strategic development and ensuring a sustainable workforce.