Poots Apologises Over Care Homes

Health Minister Edwin Poots has apologised to elderly residents of care homes after plans to close 18 NHS institutions in Northern Ireland were abandoned.

It is thought the move would have affected over 300 residents.

The plans were part of the Transforming Your Care health service review, which proposed the closure of half of NHS care homes in Northern Ireland.

In the northern, western and southern health trusts, all NHS care homes were planned to close.

The news prompted angry reactions from political parties and charities.

On Friday, Mr Poots withdrew the policy.

He told the Assembly today: "I do not want to see any older person distressed about the future. But I know that several older people have been upset by the proposed changes and I want to apologise to them for any unintentional stress that may have been generated by these consultation proposals. No-one can disagree with the policy that home is the hub of care. But how we achieve this, needs to be carefully planned and communicated, and those older people currently residing in statutory residential homes must be listened to, and treated with sensitivity and dignity."

He stressed there had never been any attention of making anyone homeless or enforcing change.

"It was very unfortunate that the clear positive intentions of the policy became lost in the distressing sequence of stories over the last two weeks and it is now essential that we put public assurance and confidence at the top of the agenda," he said.

"But I would also hope that some of the positive changes that Trusts were proposing can proceed. Their intention and mine is to improve services and move away from a model of care that is no longer the best available and which involves many people living in homes that do not meet the standard expected."

The Minister said consultation on change will still be necessary, but is likely to happen over a longer period of time.

But SDLP Health and spokesperson Conall McDevitt said the statement "only confirms the DUP’s commitment to pursuing a privatisation agenda".

"The SDLP have been arguing for some-time that privatisation of aspects of our health and social care services will directly undermine the values of NHS which provides healthcare free at the point of delivery.

"We accept that there are areas of our Health and Social Care Systems that need reformed but we are also mindful at the shift from patient centred care to profit driven care.

"I want to reiterate my call to the Minister to implement reforms inside a legislative framework which helps guard against the privatisation of our healthcare system and therefore bring forward legislation to the Assembly as a matter of urgency."

Sinn Féin West Belfast MLA and Chair of the Assembly's Heath Committee Sue Ramsey said: "The fear and distress caused by the care homes fiasco must not be repeated and the minister must ensure such a mess does not happen again and that any confusion between his department and the Health Trusts are, unlike this time, cleared up immediately.

"Transforming Your Care is being introduced to make our health system better and bringing that care into the community. The mess surrounding the care homes announcements plainly shows that the minister has taken his eye off the ball and that is unacceptable."

(IT/CD)