New hospitals plan is 'clarified'

Health minister Shaun Woodward said final decisions had not been made

Northern Ireland's health minister has moved to clarify hospital facilities to be offered in Enniskillen and Omagh.

Shaun Woodward said acute services such as A&E, emergency medicine and surgery would be provided in a hospital to the north of Enniskillen.

Facilities at Omagh will include a minor injuries unit, renal, day care, outpatient and diagnostic services.

He earlier said Enniskillen was not getting a "conventional acute hospital", provoking anger in the area.

Mr Woodward made the remark on BBC Radio Ulster following concerns from councillors in the area about downgraded services.

The health minister said: "There won't be conventional acute hospitals at Omagh and Enniskillen."

But he added that people would have access to acute services and there would be new hospitals in both towns.

The proposed site for the £175m hospital in Enniskillen

Mr Woodward pointed out that consultation was ongoing and final decisions had not been made.

In March, Sperrin Lakeland Trust had revealed plans for a £175m Enniskillen hospital and a £90m facility in Omagh.

Sinn Fein MPs Michelle Gildernew and Pat Doherty warned that the changes could put lives in jeopardy.

In a statement, they said any loss of essential hospital services could be life threatening.

"We need a clear and unambiguous statement from the Department of Health on the range and nature of services situated west of the Bann," they said.

"Any U-turn on previous commitments, indeed, any failure to address concerns about the loss of essential hospital services in Tyrone and Fermanagh, will be life threatening and could result in unnecessary loss of life."

BBC NI's health correspondent Dot Kirby said what the minister was saying appeared to represent a change of policy.

Concern

Democratic Unionist assembly member Arlene Foster, who represents Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said: "There is a lot of concern at these reports about Enniskillen not getting the full range of acute services as promised.

"We will be expecting straightforward answers to our questions."

Frank Britton, an SDLP councillor in Fermanagh, said the council would be seeking further clarification on the minister's remarks.

"I would be very, very, very worried if the minister was hinting at some other proposal or some other set of proposals that would in any way downgrade the acute services in County Fermanagh," he said.

In March, plans for two new hospitals in Fermanagh and Tyrone were approved.

The trust announced that the proposed site for the £175m hospital would be at Drumcoo, just off the main road from Enniskillen to Irvinestown.

Both hospitals are to be opened by 2010.