Statement by Jim Allister MLA:
“In light of the today’s announcement by Four Seasons Healthcare that they are set to close seven private residential care homes, the focus quickly shifted onto the plight of our NHS Residential Care Homes and the fight for survival they have faced.
“I welcome the Minister’s U-Turn this afternoon in his abandoning of his closure agenda for our residential care homes – that is good news for care homes in my constituency such as Pinewood and the Roddens, and for those across the province who until today were facing a bleak future.
“The Minister now needs to act swiftly and make a full commitment to the retention of the state sector residential care homes. He must reassure them that his decision to halt the closures is going to be followed through with a desire to see them operate to their full potential, with new admissions and investment such as it is needed.
“Today, those who need a residential care service deserve to know that there is a stable NHS service that can relied on for life. Anything less than that would indicate that this is just a short term measure until the closure agenda is back on the table.”