By Adrian Mullan

Staff at the laboratory at Tyrone County Hospital fear that the 24-7 service that they provide, and which ensures that the hospital can retain acute facilities, will end in April.

Staff at the labs are normally issued with a three months rota, however, they have not received anything. There are 20 staff at the Omagh laboratory, seven of whom work out of hours providing cover not only for Omagh but for the Erne Hospital which is reported to have woefully inadequate facilities.

A member of staff who declined to be identified said that lab staff were advised by a clinical services manager that services at the Tyrone County labs were 'unsafe', despite the Omagh unit having to regularly bolster the faltering service at the Erne.

"Our staff often have to go to Enniskillen at night to shore up the service there. Omagh is being used as a scapegoat to justify cutting other services."

A senior member of the trust management team claimed to a hospital campaigner that the cuts being proposed were to ensure that the working practices complied with the EU Working Time directives.

The laboratory staff member who contacted the UH said that 'point of care testing' is being used to try to replace the work being done by the laboratory, though its uses and applications are very limited.

He continued, "The way things are being done is so deviant, if you remove the 24 hour laboratory cover, you can't have acute services."

Effectively, that means that any acute cases being treated after 5pm would have to be transferred to another hospital. Likewise all casualty services (urgent care) would cease to exist after 5pm.

A spokesperson for the Western Trust said, "Laboratory Services will continue to be provided at Tyrone County hospital as per the minister's announcement on the outcome of the pathology review in December 2007."