Debate contribution: South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen

Debate contribution by Mr Danny Donnelly on 24 February 2026.

MLA

Mr Danny Donnelly

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

24 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5404883

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Member for securing the Adjournment debate. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the potential of the South West Acute Hospital as a genuine cross-border hospital and what that could mean for patients across the island. Like other Members, I have met representatives of the SOAS campaign; I met campaigners today, and I believe that they are here. I assure the people who live in Fermanagh of Alliance's commitment to ensuring that the South West Acute Hospital is an active asset to their community and to its becoming a hub for elective care for patients across Northern Ireland. I have also had the opportunity to meet local council members and businesses to hear their concerns about healthcare in the area. I visited the SWAH recently with the Health Committee, and it is clear that more services could be delivered in the hospital. It is an impressive and modern building, but more could be delivered there, and we will certainly work to achieve that. Politics must play no part in preventing us having a health service and hospital systems that work to deliver for everyone across Northern Ireland. In healthcare, the focus must always be on better outcomes. Geography should never be a barrier to care. When we discuss cross-border healthcare, the debate should be grounded in practical experience and measurable results. There are clear examples on the island where structured cooperation has strengthened specialist services and delivered better outcomes for patients. I will raise a couple of examples of cross-border healthcare already in operation. One of the most compelling examples is the all-island congenital heart disease network and the impact that it has had on children's heart surgery. Survival rates for children with congenital heart conditions in the Republic and in Northern Ireland are said to now match the best results globally. Figures covering 2023 to 2024 highlight increased survival rates and continued advancements in paediatric cardiac care, reaffirming the importance of delivering world-class healthcare for children across Ireland. The data shows that congenital heart disease procedures increased overall, with paediatric surgical procedures being up by 5% on the previous year, reflecting progress in service delivery. Crucially, survival rates remained among the best globally, with an overall three-year survival ratio of 98·6%, which exceeds predicted outcomes. Another established example of cooperation in practice is the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin, which provides cancer care for more than half a million people in the western region of Northern Ireland and the adjoining areas in the South. The centre has been awarded the European Society for Medical Oncology's accreditation, having met 13 strict criteria based on the World Health Organization's recommendations on the provision of palliative care for patients with cancer. The accreditation recognises cancer centres that provide the highest standard of integrated oncology and palliative care services with the goal of improving research, education and clinical practice by setting clear standards for service development. Academics have emphasised the importance of that type of cooperation. Professor Mark Lawler, associate pro-vice-chancellor at Queen's University, has said that sharing knowledge and funding could mean that Governments would fight cancer, which he described as being "the common enemy", rather than competing against one another. He argued that Governments should:

"work closer and harder together to conquer cancer and deliver better for patients across the island".

That is an important point. We should not overlook cross-border initiatives when designing a health service that works for people, particularly those in border regions who, too often, feel overlooked already. I know that the Minister is very open to cross-border co-operation on health issues. The examples that I gave demonstrate that cross-border healthcare is neither experimental nor symbolic but is rooted in better outcomes. Aside from the notable exceptions that I mentioned, collaboration remains limited. To date, the approach has been minimalist and is often project specific. The Health Committee met the Committee on Health in the South to discuss opportunities for further cross-border collaboration on health. The North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association has met several times and had healthcare-related presentations on cross-border cancer care and perinatal mental health care. A mother-and-baby unit — something that is not available anywhere on this island — was raised as being a possible project on which to work together. It has been suggested that key healthcare services, including ear, nose and throat surgery, orthopaedics, treatment of rare diseases, cancer care and acute mental health services are potential areas for future all-Ireland initiatives. The South West Acute Hospital presents substantial opportunities for innovation in cross-border service provision. It has clear potential: the question is whether we have the political will and strategic clarity to realise that potential in a way that strengthens services across Northern Ireland and delivers better outcomes for patients.

791 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