Statement by Jim Allister MLA:

“On Tuesday evening I attended one of the Health and Social Care Board’s consultation sessions along with my TUV colleagues and representatives from Unions, care home staff and relatives of residents.

“The proposed criteria put forward by the HSC Board was quite simply a farce – it was entirely contrived to give only one sadly predictable outcome, that residential care homes would have to be closed.

“The criteria are predicated on the assumption that private facilities are better, and we all know that statutory residential homes such as Pinewood, The Roddens and Rosedale, to name but a few, are superb facilities.

“The criteria also set out that residential care homes will be judged on their admissions, but there has and continues to be a ban on new admissions! How absurd and insulting is it that this can be given any weight in the criteria. Of course there will be a trend for private care homes if no new admissions are granted to statutory homes.

“Ever since this process became public last April TUV have set out a fair way to move forward: end the ban on permanent admissions and give the residential care homes a level playing field to compete with the private sector. Only then will a comparison of services, cost, admissions etc be valuable.

“Those present also heard the ‘bombshell’ from an HSC Board representative who expressly said that it was the Minister who directed that the ban on admissions continue during the consultation period. I have written to John Compton, Chief Executive of the Health and Social Care Board, to ascertain the accuracy of this disclosure.

“Minister Poots can blame the Trusts all he wants, but the buck stops with him.”

Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-

“A consultation on the how, not the why, of residential care home closures will not satisfactorily or fairly address the issues. The pre-determined reiteration that at least 50% of homes will close, whatever the merits or local needs, further suggests this latest consultation is another farce.

“A consultation supposedly to set criteria for closures, in circumstances where the Minister maintains a ban on new admissions, means homes so starved of residents are easy pickings. In the Northern Trust area there are no new admissions, so how can these homes defend themselves?

“It is only by lifting the embargo on new admissions that a fair and genuine consultation exercise can be conducted. Otherwise, it will continue to be closure by stealth. Little wonder some residents have expressed a renewed sense of betrayal.”