Fears for dementia unit
Councillor Tony Hassan.
A specialist dementia facility at the Slievemore Nursing Unit could close within two weeks, it has been claimed.
It was announced earlier this week that admissions had been stopped at the facility on the Glengalliagh Road following an inspection carried out in January by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).
The announcement prompted fears for the future of the nursing unit, which currently has ten patients, and for the jobs of the staff.
Union representatives and local politicians have said staff were told on Wednesday that the unit could be shut down within the next two weeks.
Shantallow Sinn Féin councillor Tony Hassan said staff and the families of patients are concerns by the reports and called for clarity on the situation.
“I have spoken to a number of staff at the Slievemore Nursing Unit and I have also spoken to a number of relatives who are very concerned about their loved ones. The fear is that the unit could close within the next two weeks and that alternative locations will have to be found for the patients.
“It is my understanding that the only similar facilities are in Tyrone and Enniskillen which is not acceptable,” he said.
Liam Boyle, a Unison branch chair who works at the unit said the situation has caused concern. “I am fearful of what is going to happen and where these people are going to go. Families are concerned about what is going to happen to their loved ones, where they are going to go and how they will be cared for in the future,” he said.
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Monday 20 May 2013
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