Nine residential care homes set for closure. UNISON reveals

According to the Union, two homes, Pinewood in Ballymena and Westlands in Cookstown, are to close in November, followed by Rathmoyle in Moyle in January 2014. The remaining seven residential care homes are set to close sometime between 2014 and 2018.

A statement from UNISON pointed out: “The programme for the future delivery of health and social care services in Northern Ireland, ‘Transforming Your Care’ (TYC), recommends a 50% reduction in NHS residential care homes. Yet, in an extraordinary move, the Northern Trust has decided to close all its homes.

“In the past two days, the Trust held meetings in its residential care homes to inform staff of the closures despite no formal approval given by Trust Board to close the homes, and without consulting with the residents in the care homes or their relatives.”

UNISON Regional Organiser, Joe McCusker, said: “The proposal to close residential care homes leaves no NHS provision for residential care in the Northern Health Trust area. This will remove any choice for vulnerable people to be cared for in an NHS care home. The Northern Health Trust needs to explain why they have taken the decision to close all its residential care homes.”

UNISON is seeking an urgent meeting with the Northern Health Trust Chief Executive to discuss the home closures and will be in attendance at the Trust Board meeting in Antrim on Thursday morning, April 25, to voice their opposition to the home closures.