Campaigners launch legal action against withdrawal of emergency general surgery from the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen

Emergency general surgery was temporarily suspended from the hospital in December 2022 but has never returned.

Such patients are now treated at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry - a round trip of almost 140 miles and four hours for relatives from Enniskillen.

On Tuesday night 400 people attended the latest public meeting on the issue in Enniskillen.

Attendees heard that organisers are now taking their protest to the steps of Stormont.

Helen Hamill, secretary of the Save Our Acute Services campaign says the only public consultation so far has come back overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the service at SWAH.

The trust had been able to hire four consultants in the 2.5 years before the service was closed - but did not advertise for replacements since the closure, she said.

In November she said officials admitted to MLAs they did not intend to reopen the service - which she says is different to public messaging at that time.

Campaigners have therefore issued a pre-action letter for a judicial review.

A spokesman for the Western Trust said the vast majority of patients who attend SWAH are now treated on-site.

He says there is now an on-site “ambulatory surgical service” at SWAH where, on average, two thirds of patients with an emergency general surgery issue are now safely treated. Over five patients per day receive same-day or next-day assessment and treatment, and 2.5 patients per day are transferred to Altnagelvin Hospital.