Ramsey refurbished elderly care home 'crucial' for town

The refurbished care home has 52 beds

The privately funded redevelopment of a 52-bed nursing home in Ramsey would be of "real benefit", a commissioner has said.

The £5m refurbishment of Crovan Court has replaced the former Kings Reach home on the site, which closed in 2017.

Ramsey Commissioners chairman Andrew Cowie said the "very important" home would "help to meet" the future need for nursing care in the area.

Health Minister David Ashford said the increased provision was "crucial".

The Isle of Man was "getting an older population", which would create "more demand" for bed spaces, he added.

"It's important that the department works with private providers to ensure that capacity is available in the future so we're not chasing our tail with people waiting for beds," he added.

The number of over-65s on the island is expected to increase from 17,000 to 22,500 by 2036, a rise of 30%.

The new home was officially opened by Ramsey Commissioners Chairman Andrew Cowie

Praising the development, Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper said it was "really good" to see private investment in the sector.

"Government should have been pushing and been a bit more supportive of these kind of developments over the last 10 or 15 years to make sure they were planning," he added.

Mr Ashford said, although the department had discussed the future demand for bed spaces in the island with the developers, government had "tried not to interfere too much" in the development.

"The private sector does a pretty good job on deciding what residents want and what actually can be provided for them," he added.

A review of the future provision and funding of adult nursing and care provision on the island is currently being undertaken by government.