North Antrim Ulster Unionist MLA Robin Swann has called on the Health Minister to respect the results of the consultation on the future of residential care at Pinewood carried out in 2009.
Mr Swann said:
"In 2009 as a result of a review of residential care carried out during the time my colleague Michael McGimpsey was Health Minister, the recommendation for Pinewood Residential Home was that it should continue to provide accommodation for those who required it.
“At that time the issue of client choice was a key determinant in identifying the use of facilities such as Pinewood. Progressively over the past few years the decision to restrict access as part of a ‘closure by stealth’ agenda has not only undermined the viability of facilities but has also reduced the level of client choice.
“It is vital in, the interests of clients, that the Minister ensures that the current consultation and the accompanying decisions are as open and transparent as those carried out in 2009."