Councillors in Fermanagh and Omagh District Council have criticised the Western Trust over its handling of access to GP services in the area.
The local health trust’s chief executive Neil Guckian responded to a request for more information from the council on what is being done to secure space for additional Primary Care teams at Omagh hospital and Irvinestown health centre.
In the letter, Guckian said the Trust was still committed to the provision of ‘shell space’ for the four GP practices in Omagh hospital, but said this was being reviewed due to a lack of space at the facility.
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In relation to Irvinestown, the Trust boss said there were ‘there are no immediately available solutions’ to house additional multi disciplinary teams at the Co Fermanagh centre, which is described as being ‘heavily utilised’.
At a meeting of the local council on Tuesday, independent councillor Josephine Deehan, who also works as a GP in Omagh hospital, said there was space available at the facility.
“The facts of the matter are that we have a large, readily available shelf space waiting to be netted out, lying vacant through the height of the pandemic, when we were all really scrambling to get extra space than our practices and I just feel that this is unacceptable,” Cllr Deehan said.
“Such is the crisis that faces primary care at present that we urgently need to ensure that those multidisciplinary teams can hit the ground running.”
Sinn Féin councillor Siobhan Currie said the Trust’s response was ‘fluffy’ and did not provide enough detail on what alternatives had been sought for added capacity in Irvinestown.
“I think anybody that knows the health centre there knows that it is actually a very constrained site and I would actually say that creates issues in itself in terms of just trying to get around that end of town and for patients no doubt getting in and out,” Cllr Currie said.
“I think we just need more information on what exactly they are doing in terms of scope. And I don't think that this kind of fluffy statement at the end is good enough.”
UUP councillor Diana Armstrong said it was ‘disappointing’ that no immediate solutions had been identified in Irvinestown.
“I’m not satisfied that they are saying there are no immediate solutions there,” Cllr Armstrong said.
“There is a solution of the asymptomatic test centre at Tullygarn on the Lisnarick Road. If the Trust could widen its vision, there may be facilities within the immediate area and I’d ask if that is explored as well.”
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