Sandra Overend the Ulster Unionist MLA for Mid Ulster has labelled the Health Minister’s recent announcement about NHS residential care homes remaining open as an empty publicity stunt ahead of the elections.  Mrs Overend had written to him to seek clarification about the admissions policies for care homes across Northern Ireland and in particular Westlands, Cookstown in her own constituency.

Mrs Overend said:

“Much was made of the Health Minister’s recent announcement that a number of care homes across Northern Ireland were to remain open. Having been forced into reassessing the effects of his earlier closure policy, the Minister had apparently made a U-turn. However, having questioned Minister Poots further on his latest announcement, I have found that in reality, nothing has really changed since he made the decision to close the homes in the first place.

“I wrote to the Health Minister, and questioned him directly on the admissions policy for the care homes, particularly Westlands Residential Care Home in Cookstown. One major worry for residents was that their homes were being closed by stealth. Although the care homes are being permitted to remain open for their current residents, the non-admissions policies have not been overturned.   This will inevitably lead to closures, as homes will eventually not have enough residents to make them viable under Health Trust guidelines. In his letter to me the Minister says that residents ‘…will be able to remain in their care home for as long as they wish and so long as their needs can continue to be met there’. That is a very qualified and short term guarantee. 

“In his reply to my letter, the Minister has confirmed that the non- admissions policy is still in place. I am deeply disappointed that this is the case. Minister Poots repeats what we all knew- that the Health and Social Care Board is ‘reviewing’  the policy, and is also analysing responses to the most recent consultation document about the future of the care homes. Conveniently for Mr Poots, the Admissions Policy Review and Consultation Report will not be made public until the ‘early summer’- after the elections.

“I can only conclude that the recent round of visits and the announcement from the Minister was another empty promise from a failing Health Minister; another publicity stunt by the DUP in the run-up to an election; and another blow to the residents of Care Homes all across Northern Ireland.”