Alex Easton MLA has today accused Senior management of the SE Trust of using COVID as a smokescreen to close Northfield House in Donaghadee.
Speaking today Alex Easton MLA said:
“ I have every reason to believe that senior management are using COVID as a cover to close Northfield House after 9 patients were removed from the site claiming it was going to be used as a COVID recovery unit. We then find out that the 15 staff at the site have just been told they are going to be redeployed elsewhere and that Northfield House is to be closed allegedly on a temporary basis”
“In the four weeks since the patients were removed, one who was sent home without a care package in place. Not one Covid recovery patient was sent to Northfield House and the 15 staff were left with nothing to do. The SE Trust senior management has serious questions to ask as to why Northfield was left empty with staff for those weeks, why they have just suddenly redeployed the staff and told them that Northfield is to close on a temporary basis causing huge upset to staff, why was there no
consultation with staff or elected representatives and why have they closed Northfield when the site is very much needed.”
“I am of the opinion that the SE Management are trying to close Northfield as they tried several year’s ago, that they used Covid as the cover to do so and clear the site and now have redeployed all staff and removed the patients, this sneaky and underhanded tactic in not acceptable and I will oppose this attempted closure by all means at my disposal, it is just not acceptable to keep closing facilities as the answer to everything, it is not acceptable to use these tactics and it is not acceptable that Donaghadee keeps getting targeted for facilities to be closed such as we have seen with the school, police station, play parks and now Northfield House. The Health Minister also needs to explain what he knew about Northfield temporary closure, also and I will be writing to him urgently on the mater.”
Ends;
