Debate contribution: South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen

Debate contribution by Ms Diana Armstrong on 24 February 2026.

MLA

Ms Diana Armstrong

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

24 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5404867

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the chance to speak on this important Adjournment topic. I feel compelled to contribute to it. As has been stated, the SWAH is a state-of-the-art, modern hospital that was purpose-built to provide high-quality, safe and efficient healthcare in a rural region. There is no doubt that the SWAH deserves to have, and must have, a long and secure future. As such, I am very supportive of cross-border opportunities being explored. It is an issue that I have raised directly with counterparts in the Republic of Ireland. For the people of Fermanagh and West Tyrone, the SWAH is not just another hospital in a wider system; it is a vital lifeline. Rural healthcare must never be allowed to be treated as an afterthought. Access and geography matter in Fermanagh; we know that all too well. I truly believe that the Minister recognises that. I have accompanied him on multiple visits to the hospital, most recently only a few weeks ago. There is barely a staff group that he has not met or a corner of the hospital that he has not seen. The South West Acute Hospital was designed with the future in mind. Its individual rooms, modern infrastructure and theatre capacity position it perfectly as a major hub for high volume and for complex surgery moving forward. At a time when we are all acutely aware of the intolerable waits that patients face across Northern Ireland, the SWAH is demonstrating through actions on the ground that its facilities are capable of expanding care and that it can play its full part in reducing backlogs. In recent months, the Minister has been able to deliver the utilisation of more of the previously uncommissioned theatre capacity, with further plans well advanced. That is tangible progress, and it demonstrates what political determination and focused advocacy can achieve. It shows that, when we fight for the SWAH, we deliver for the SWAH. However, support for the hospital cannot be complacent. It must be active and vigilant, because we have seen how fragile public confidence can become when decisions are taken without transparency or proper oversight. The temporary removal of emergency general surgery (EGS) by the Western Trust in late 2022 was deeply concerning. It occurred only a few weeks after the Assembly and the Executive had collapsed, but also only after the previous Minister of Health had sought written assurances on safety and planning that were never provided. That, understandably, undermined public confidence. When communities feel that decisions are being imposed on them without proper explanation or accountability, that concern is not only justified but powerful and entirely legitimate. Within weeks of the Assembly being restored in early 2024, the then Health Minister ordered a Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) review to ensure that the issues were properly and independently examined. That was an important and necessary step, and, whilst the RQIA report provided some assurances and, most importantly, an agreement from the trust on what further measures were needed, all local MLAs will be aware that further challenges remain. I trust that the RQIA, given its most recent work on the hospital, will be able to ensure that further progress is made. One of the greatest knocks to public confidence in recent times was the trust's failed attempt at a consultation last summer. As we will all remember, the Western Trust launched a ham-fisted consultation that was aimed at making the temporary closure permanent. Even though all the glaring shortcomings and errors were entirely obvious, the current Minister had to take the very unusual step of directly intervening so that the trust would listen. The Minister ordered the trust to halt that flawed process and, instead, to develop a long-term vision plan for the SWAH. Minister, whilst I have long believed that the work was too important for the trust to try to rush it through, in the seven months that have passed since then, the local community and key stakeholders would have liked to have seen more of the vision plan. They are not expecting to have the final document in their hands, but they would have liked, at least, to have had an assurance that detailed conversations were taking place and that planning was under way. Yet again, the Western Trust is falling below standard. As you know, Minister, as local MLAs who live among the community, we will not accept short-term fixes dressed up as strategic reform. We will not accept consultation processes that undermine trust rather than build it. I hope that, as public representatives, we can give you our assurances that we will assist you in promoting the SWAH as a safe and sustainable hospital and as a great place for any staff member to work in. I have no doubt whatsoever that the SWAH's future is secure. Its outlook is one of growth and stability. It should be a centre that delivers acute services, maximises its modern design, expands elective capacity, supports staff and retains public confidence. However, that confidence will not be retained unless we continue to listen to the strength of local concerns and treat them with the seriousness that they deserve. Although we acknowledge the potential of cross-border health services, we need to ask what appetite there really is from our counterparts in the Republic. Today, I reaffirm my party's unwavering commitment to the South West Acute Hospital. We recognise its strategic importance and the strength of feeling in the community, and we will continue to stand up firmly and consistently to ensure that the SWAH has not just a future but a thriving one. One last thing, Minister: where is the vision plan?

943 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification