The South West Acute Hospital will have its emergency surgery service suspended from December 18, the Western Trust has confirmed.
A special Trust Board meeting on Thursday was called following a further resignation from the general surgery team at the Co Fermanagh hospital.
The Trust says it has been unsuccessful in efforts to recruit consultant general surgeons to the hospital.
In a statement released on Thursday, Western Trust director of Acute Services Geraldine McKay stressed that the decision to suspend the service was an ‘unplanned, temporary’ one.
READ MORE: Public meetings taking place across Fermanagh over threats to SWAH emergency surgery
“Despite our previous and ongoing efforts to recruit, we have not been successful to date in securing the necessary consultant workforce,” McKay said.
“The Trust is therefore now unable to maintain the required workforce to sustain and deliver a safe emergency (unplanned) general surgical service to our population from SWAH.
“Put simply, we cannot provide an emergency general surgery service without a consultant surgical team in place to provide the required 24/7 cover.
“We can confirm that our Trust Board approved today to a recommendation for an unplanned temporary suspension of Emergency General Surgery at the SWAH, Enniskillen. This is necessary to protect public health/safety.”
The Trust director added there would be ‘minimal to no impact’ to other services at the SWAH, despite fears being expressed that other services would be at risk following the withdrawal of emergency surgery.
Western Trust chief executive Neil Guckian, who will appear at a special council meeting on the issue on Thursday night, appealed for public support for the decision.
“I want to reassure the local community that the Trust is fully committed to developing and enhancing South West Acute Hospital as an essential part of the Western Trust and regional hospital network,” Guckian said.
“SWAH has a very busy Emergency Department, fantastic facilities and a wide range of very vibrant specialities.
“We ask for public support and understanding as we continue to work through the challenges to develop a solution that meets the future needs of our population.
“We will be carrying out a full public consultation on this temporary change including seeking views on how emergency general surgery might be restored, and will outline the details of consultation process in the coming weeks.
“Extensive work will be undertaken to inform patients of the change to general surgery services, including public advertising, posters and social media messaging.”
In a statement, the Department of Health said it is 'satisfied' the decision to close the service was the right one on 'public safety grounds'.
"The Department fully recognises the importance of South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) to the people of Fermanagh and Tyrone and to Northern Ireland’s hospital network.," a spokesperson said.
"The first duty of any health system is to provide safe care and the Department is satisfied that the Western Trust’s decision to temporarily suspend the service has been taken on public safety grounds, due to a lack of consultant general surgeons.
"The Department can reassure the local population on SWAH’s future. It is a vital part of our hospital network and will very much remain so."
READ MORE: Adrian Dunbar issues plea to save emergency surgery services in hometown hospital
Public meetings have been taking place across the county in recent weeks after the Trust announced it had been putting plans in place for the withdrawal of unplanned surgeries.
With the news of the withdrawal now confirmed, SDLP councillor for Enniskillen Paul Blake said the way the Trust has handled the crisis has been inadequate.
"As with much of the Trust’s handling of this issue, it leaves us with a lot more questions than answers,” Cllr Blake told Belfast Live.
"Questions need to be asked about how temporary is temporary, and when does temporary become permanent? I’ve found the Trust to be completely evasive and never been straight with the public on what their plans are."
Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew said the removal of the service was down to a 'total failure' of the Trust to recruit and retain surgeons.
“The WHSCT have today confirmed that from 18th December, there will no longer be emergency surgical services in the SWAH," Gildernew said.
“This is as a result of the total failure of the WHSCT to recruit and retain the necessary surgeons. The public now need clarity and honesty from the Western Trust and the Department.
"We need to know the steps they have taken over the last number of months to ensure that the SWAH is adequately staffed to make sure this is not a permanent measure. Patients, staff and our community deserve transparency from the Trust on all these issues."
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