Health Trust demolishes new £1.7million operating theatre

(an edited version of this was published in the Sunday World December 7th 2014)

The Western Health Trust has confirmed it is demolishing a £1.7million state of the art operating theatre built half-a-dozen years ago at the Erne Hospital, Enniskillen. The theatre is being demolished as part of the demolition of the whole hospital. The operating theatre was only used for four years, until the South West Acute hospital was opened. Another operating theatre that was upgraded at the same time is also being demolished.

The Sunday World asked the Western Trust to confirm if the demolition of the Erne includes this operating theatre. The reply was: “Yes, the demolition includes the operating theatre block”.

When the theatre was being built the Sperrin Lakeland Trust (predecessor of the Western Trust) had begun building the new South West Acute Hospital on the outskirts of Enniskillen. At the same time, three operating theatres 27 miles away at Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh were operating at 50% capacity. One was state of the art, having had a laminar flow ventilating system installed approximately five years early. The Sunday World has been unable to find out the cost of this: however, both installation and operating costs are high.

A notice to contractors from the Sperrin Lakeland Trust in February 2007 laid out what was expected from the operating theatre now being demolished:

“Construction of building shell to house new first floor operating theatre and associated anaesthetic, preparation, scrub and storage areas together with necessary mechanical and electrical services installations including medical gases. Contract will include the installation of all mechanical and electrical services including medical gases associated with the new accommodation, together with works necessary to link the new accommodation to the existing hospital corridor circulation system.

Contract will also include refurbishment and alteration works in the existing hospital ground floor theatre suite. Internal fit-out of the new operating theatre to be by specialist modular operating theatre provider, employed as a nominated sub-contractor.” The notice estimated the cost at £1.7million.

Former UNISON trade union secretary on the Erne site Benny Cassidy has said he is furious. He said that building the operating theatre for such a short time was “utter waste when they didn’t have any money to spend. Even at that time, there wasn’t much money about. I’m furious that there’s no accountability about money being wasted.”

The demolition of the Erne is due to be completed by May next year.

Meanwhile, the three operating theatres in the Tyrone County Hospital are still there. They are now being used at much less than 50% capacity.


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