The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Western Health and Social Care Trust have denied claims from a campaign group that a patient died during an ambulance transfer between the South West Acute Hospital and Altnagelvin since December 2022.
The claim was published on a Twitter account run by the Save Our Acute Services campaign group, who have been fighting against the suspension of emergency general surgery at the Co Fermanagh hospital.
The services have been suspended there since December, amid a public consultation on the issue whose results are to be announced later this year.
READ MORE: Council backs SWAH public inquiry call as campaign group delivers 30,000 letters of support to Trust
The tweet suggested a patient had identified with internal bleeding at the SWAH at one point since December 2022 and had died while being transferred to Derry.
However, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service says it has no record of any deaths taking place during this time between the two hospitals.
“NIAS has checked all available records and there have been no reported incidents of patients having died while being transferred by ambulance from SWAH to Altnagelvin in the period identified,” a spokesperson said.
The Western Trust’s Medical Director Dr Brendan Lavery said the claim was ‘untrue’.
“The Western Trust would like to reassure the public and allay any undue fears and anxiety that may have arisen from a Tweet on an alleged death of a patient whilst being transferred from South West Acute Hospital to Altnagelvin for surgical input,” Dr Lavery said.
“It is very important to emphasise that this information is untrue.
“I therefore wish to reiterate that no patients have died in an ambulance while being transferred to Altnagelvin Hospital since the temporary change to Emergency General Surgery at South West Acute Hospital was announced.
The Trust continues to say that the change in service has not negatively impacted on patient outcomes, something disputed by campaigners.
“As part of ongoing governance within the Trust all significant incidents are recorded and reviewed,” Lavery added.
“To date, there is no evidence that the temporary change to the pathways at South West Acute Hospital has negatively impacted on patient clinical outcomes.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Save Our Acute Services campaign said it was ‘disappointed’ at the Trust’s comments.
However, the group declined to make any further comment on the claims it published about the alleged ambulance death last week.
“Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) are genuinely disappointed to hear the comments today made by the Western Trust with regard to patient experiences of pathways,” the spokesperson said.
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