No move to shut Derry homes in the short term

Western Health Trust representatives have said that the status of William Street and Rectory Field Homes would remain unchanged for now.

The concerns were raised following a presentation by senior Trust officials at Derry City & Strabane District Council’s monthly Health and Community Committee meeting.

SDLP Colr. Shauna Cusack said the issue of future provision for older people’s services was “very, very much to the fore in the city”. She said that before Christmas it emerged that a decision on the two homes would be made this month, and asked what measures the Trust was putting in place to support families who may be expected to care for elderly relatives at home.

Colr. Cusack and Sinn Fein Councillor Christopher Jackson further warned that people were waiting months for home adaption assessments.

Trust Director Teresa Molloy said that the Trust will “not be moving forward” on the residential homes “until the Minister decides to make a decision or gives instruction.”

She added that the Trust did have “very under-utilised facilities”, adding that the Trust had allocated additional resources to cope with a backlog in adaptions to homes, Ms Molloy earlier admitted that the work on reforming residential care had seen “rather bumpy progress”.