 in Enniskillen, the Western Health Trust has said.The trust said this was necessary to protect the public's safety. Despite saying the move was temporary, the Western Trust did not say when it expected emergency general surgery would resume.The emergency department and other services including obstetrics will continue to operate as normal. Other - mostly lower grade - surgeons will remain on site.They will stabilise patients before they are transferred by ambulance to the likes of Altnagelvin Area Hospital in Londonderry, Craigavon Area Hospital in County Armagh or Sligo University Hospital across the border in the Republic of Ireland.Local groups have said they are concerned that the road infrastructure does not support a quick transfer of patients from Enniskillen to Altnagelvin, Craigavon or hospitals in Belfast. In a further move it has been confirmed the hospital is to become Northern Ireland's third elective surgical hub.Emergency general surgery will stop at SWAH during December.Emergency general surgery relates to the treatment of patients with conditions such as acute abdominal pain, infections, bleeding and trauma.It includes operations such as removing a patient's gall bladder, appendix or part of the bowel. If left unattended they can become life threatening. According to the Western Trust, SWAH deals with about five such cases a day and that is not enough to sustain a dedicated emergency general surgical team. It said the decision to withdraw emergency general surgery came after a further resignation from the general surgery team and unsuccessful attempts to recruit the necessary number of consultants."The trust is therefore now unable to maintain the required workforce to sustain and deliver a safe emergency (unplanned) general surgical service to our population from SWAH," a spokesperson said.The Western Trust said existing services including its emergency d){kind=link}
Emergency general surgery is to be temporarily withdrawn from South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) in Enniskillen, the Western Health Trust has said.
The trust said this was necessary to protect the public’s safety.
Despite saying the move was temporary, the Western Trust did not say when it expected emergency general surgery would resume.
The emergency department and other services including obstetrics will continue to operate as normal.
Other – mostly lower grade – surgeons will remain on site.