FAQ's

FAQs

The DBS team visited the Tyrone County and Erne Hospitals at the end of June 2006 to present the proposed designs for the new hospitals. This gave us a great opportunity to speak to a wide range of staff and to hear your views. We were delighted with the level of positive feedback received. Development work goes on and we will continue to provide opportunities for you to have your input.

Links to the following:-
* Register for Updates

Q. When will the new facilities be open?
A. The planned opening date is 2012

Q. Location of the new hospitals?
A. The new acute hospital will be located just outside (about 1.5 miles from from Enniskillen town) Enniskillen off the main A32 road to Irvinestown. This is a quiet and scenic green field site offering distant views and is within the town development limit. The total area of the site is approximately 52 acres.The Omagh Hospital Complex will be located on the site of the existing Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital, on the outskirts of Omagh (1.5 – 2 miles from Omagh town), on a site of 101 acres.
Q. How will patients receive a better service?
A. We are re-designing hospital services to provide an improved experience for the
patient. For patients, this means that they will receive faster diagnosis, quicker
treatment and spend less time in hospital. For staff, this will mean new ways of working and opportunities for higher-grade roles. Services will move towards the notion of ‘One Stop Shop’. So when a patient visits, they can have their tests, get the results and see their consultant, all in one visit. Senior staff will see patients as soon as they attend hospital. These senior people will be able to make rapid decisions about a patient’s condition and the care that they need. These Senior People will not necessarily ALL be Doctors. Many of these could be specialist nurses such as asthma nurses, diabetes nurses, cardiology nurses or Allied Health Professionals, to name a few. We are developing new ‘Nurse Practitioner’ roles. We will be making the best possible use of our already highly skilled workforce by strengthening them through advanced training and empowering them to apply these skills.
Q. How do you plan to reduce the length of time patients stay in hospital?
A. It is important that patients stay in hospital long enough to receive the treatment they need. It is equally important that when treatment is concluded, patients can return home as soon as possible. All patients need to be assessed and provided with the most appropriate treatment (pre-admission assessments). In the future – we will make much better links with Outpatients, Ambulatory Care, Community Rehab and Crisis Support teams. We will also link much more effectively with G.P’s so that patient care will be joined up. With advances in technology, more and more conditions can be treated in Outpatients, day hospitals and in day surgery units. For those admitted to hospital, consultants will perform their ward rounds every day. These daily rounds form a core part of the plans, along with targeted discharge planning. This means that patients stay in hospital will be appropriate to their needs.
Q. How will the Trust ensure that the new hospitals will be sustainable?
A. The Trust and all our dedicated staff are working hard to provide the best possible services for the people of the area. By providing a high quality of care, we are confident that we will have an appropriate number of patients. We are already working through and implementing some of the necessary changes with the reconfiguration of services and enhancement of A&E and surgery at the Erne hospital. As we monitor our performance, the number of attendances shows that patients ARE using these services as planned. Sustainability will also be increased through the networks that are currently being developed – such as the Emergency Care – Critical Care – Cancer – ENT and Urology networks. We have come through a difficult period that has challenged us all to review and improve our policies and procedures where necessary. This has undoubtly improved the quality of our services. We will continue to work to build confidence.
Q. How will the new hospitals affect staff?
A. The new developments will see some changes in the way we work. These changes will include applying the most up-to-date medical techniques to improve our services. (Near Patient Testing/ Early Warning Systems/ new Medical Equipment and technologies etc). Business cases are being prepared to secure major items of medical equipment and ICT systems. The development of a workforce strategy is one of the key dimensions of the DBS project. This will ensure staff are provided with the training and skills necessary to prepare them to meet the requirements of the new hospital and community services. This work is on-going and is examining in detail the numbers of people involved and skills required to deliver the new service. In anticipation of these changes, the Trust is already investing in training and a comprehensive training programme will form part of the workforce strategy. It is likely that more staff will be required in some areas – particularly Medical staff.
Q. How will Mental Health Services offered from the T & F Hospital change? What will happen the existing facilities?
A. Current mental health services will continue to be provided from the T & F site, that is, acute adult and acute older people mental health units, psychiatric intensive care, challenging behaviour facilities and an addiction treatment unit. In addition, there will be a new mental health day hospital, offering specialist day care to assist with the rehabilitation of patients. Community mental health services such as the Child & Adolescent Service and community psychiatric nurses will also operate from the new health and care centres across the Western Health & Social Care Trust area, including the Centre based on the T & F site. The new, state of the art facilities will be designed to create a holistic healing environment, and the new arrangements will lead to the modernisation and enhancement of current practice and services, as well as prepare to meet anticipated future demand. The Trust will conduct a review of the existing mental health facilities to consider other potential uses for the buildings that would be vacated. There are a number of listed buildings on the site whose character and atmosphere will be preserved.
Q. How are staff being involved in the project?
A. The Trust believes that the success of any organisation’s strategy is dependent on the support of its staff. The New Hospitals Project Team ensures that staff are provided opportunities for meaningful engagement, kept abreast of project developments and pre-informed of significant announcements. Senior managers and Trade Union representatives have made a great effort to keep staff informed on the progress of the project. The following initiatives are implemented; Staff Design Teams and Project Forums have been formed involving staff from all Departments and providing responsibility for the development and sign-off of policies, design, equipment and specification documents. For example, there are 12 design teams alone. Senior clinicians lead the enhancements and development to the models of care. Information Updates and Briefings: Project updates are a standard item on the agenda at a wide range of both external and internal meetings (Joint Forum, Social Work Forum etc) and there are a range of project sub-groups (Project Board, PPP sub-group, Equality sub-group, FM Services sub-group, Project Design Forums and DBS Communications Group). Project Exhibitions, Open Days and Departmental Visits: Regular events provide staff the opportunity to view plans, ask questions and discuss concerns about future developments. Printed Materials: Project information is provided in the form of quarterly staff bulletins and issue specific newsletters. This information is also available on the staff intranet as well as the internet (www.newhospitals.org).
Q. How is the local community being involved in the Project?
A. A crucial part of our work is sharing information with our local community and giving people an opportunity to be involved in the process. This is an area where we will provide more focus in the coming months and we hope to continue to build good community links – to share information and encourage participation. For example, a feature on the new hospitals will be produced each year as part of the Trust’s annual review. Community forums have also been set-up to ensure that users of the new hospital services have their say. These include the Community Liaison Forum and the Community Design Evaluation Forum. The Community Liaison Forum looks at the design of the new hospitals from a patient and visitor perspective and aims to ensure that a wide range of users needs are taken into account. The Evaluation Forum will scrutinise and formally evaluate the design using a range of criteria. Membership of the forums reflects the diversity of local needs and encourages input from public representatives and health-related interest groups among others. These forums are an invaluable resource and are having a major positive impact on the project. The Trust is also meeting with organisations from the area and providing presentations and updates on the development of projects.
Q. Have the ambulance service committed to providing more ambulances for the area?
A. We recognise that this is an area of concern and in the event of an emergency people want to be reassured that they will be taken to the appropriate hospital as quickly as possible. The NI Ambulance Service has already provided additional ambulance cover for the area and are continuing to develop these plans. The Trust has met with the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to discuss future plans. We are glad to report that staff training is underway to supplement existing arrangements and these should be fully implemented by 2007. Staff numbers have been increased to 12 and there will be a new base located in Fintona.