Plan to buy £8m care home approved by Isle of Man government

The Isle of Man government estimates it will need to build a new care home every two years to meet the demand of an ageing population

Tynwald has approved plans to buy an £8m care home in Douglas to ease the pressure on hospital beds.

Health Minister Howard Quayle said the 68-bed facility would help to "ease a gridlock within the Isle of Man's health and social care system".

He said a growing number of elderly people, unable to afford care home fees of up to £800 per week, were "stranded" in hospital at a public cost of £2,000.

The Isle of Man parliament backed the proposal on 21 June.

The government estimates that, over the next 20 years, the number of people on the island aged 65 and above will to grow from 17,000 to 26,500 - an increase of 55%.

This would require an additional 400 care beds between now and 2036, the equivalent of one new care home every two years, said the health department.