Extra £2.3m for long-delayed care home approved

The project's total spend now stands at £14.9m

Tynwald has approved an extra £2.3m of funding for a long-delayed care home in the Isle of Man's capital.

The Summerhill View home on Victoria Road, Douglas, was completed in February, 72 weeks behind schedule.

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper said the rise from £12.6m to £14.9m for the 60-bed home was down to building delays caused by planning appeals, the coronavirus pandemic and international economic and political factors.

But he said the Department of Infrastructure had identified savings and efficiencies that had "more than offset" the overspend.

Addressing the court, Mr Hooper detailed a raft of delays that had faced the development, which has 45 residential care beds and 15 nursing beds and replaced the Reayrt ny Baie home on Albert Terrace. .

He said lockdown restrictions had meant progress on site and the availability of specialist contractors had been affected, and building costs had increased following Brexit and the Ukraine war.

'Redesign considerations'

The failure of a "key product component" had also extended the scheme, he said.

Some of the resulting costs may be recoverable but this was "subject to due legal process".

"Redesign considerations" in relation to updated infection control regulations following the pandemic had also seen the budget increase, he said.

The health department was also contractually required to pay more in consultant fees due to the project delays, but Mr Hooper said this had been mitigated as "some were stood down and only worked on an 'as-needed' basis".

Despite delays caused by "external factors" Summerhill View was "a much-needed new facility for our community", he added.

Manx Care previously confirmed a further £1.5m a year would be needed to run the larger home.

It had been seeking expressions of interest from private operators as a more "cost effective" option.