Dunmurry Manor Care Home Report Discussed at Specially Convened Council Committee Meeting

June 21, 2018

Elected Members of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council attended a specially convened Corporate Services Committee Meeting on Thursday 21st June to discuss the recently published Commissioner for Older People’s “Home Truths” Investigation Report into Dunmurry Manor Care Home.

The Corporate Services Committee meeting was chaired by its new Chairman, Councillor Nathan Anderson.

After extensive discussion on the Home Truths Report, the Committee determined to extend an invitation to the RQIA, the Commissioner for Older People, the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, the PSNI and Runwood Homes to attend a future meeting of the Full Council.

The Right Worshipful the Mayor, Cllr Uel Mackin, attended the meeting and said: “It is hard to find the words for the suffering, along with untold distress caused to patients and families and the appalling lack of dignity to which vulnerable people were subjected.

“Details are contained in the Home Truths Report from the Commissioner for Older People, and everyone should make it their business to read it. It makes you both very sad and terribly angry. Accountability must now prevail, and the Report’s findings and recommendations must be addressed to ensure that this dreadful catalogue of events never happens again.

“Many of us have older parents and relatives and we have the right to expect the very best care for family members who are no longer able to look after themselves. Yet this was far removed from the findings of the Home Truths Report in which you can feel the human tragedy and the misery. We will be looking to the statutory bodies responsible for healthcare, public funds allocation and regulation issues to speak with this Council,” he said.

The Corporate Services Committee Chairman, Cllr Nathan Anderson, said: “The statutory bodies involved in providing and supervising care for the elderly have a responsibility to listen to the views of Elected Members who represent the local electorate.

“The organisations are also accountable to ratepayers and have a duty to account for management procedures and decision-making. The Report was published a week ago, and it is necessary for the authorities to provide some clarity on the way forward including how the many recommendations are to be addressed.

“As public representatives, we must speak out to the statutory bodies and I hope other public authorities do likewise. Strong leadership is now required,” he concluded.

All Council Committee recommendations are provided to the Council’s Full Council Meeting for ratification.