Commenting after attending this morning’s protest against the closure of NHS residential care homes Jim Allister said:
“I was pleased to attend today’s protest against the closure of NHS residential care homes at Stormont. TUV has argued for years that the key issue is the lifting of the ban on new admissions. This cynical policy is designed to run the homes down over time so that it can be claimed that they are no longer safe to run.
“People should not buy the phoney argument that this is down to the Trusts. It is a policy which the DUP Minister could, at the stroke of a pen, reverse at any time. I have campaigned on this issue for a number years now and will continue to keep the pressure on those who can reverse this unjust policy.
“When one listens to the elderly residents of these homes one cannot fail to be struck by the appreciation they feel for the care they have received. The sword has hung over this essential part of our health service for far too long. It’s time the Minister removed it by lifting the ban on new admissions.”