Care home to keep running until replacement opens, minister says

Cummal Moar is now more than 40 years old

A residential home in the north of the Isle of Man will stay open until a replacement is up and running, the health minister has said.

Manx Care previously said plans for a £12.8m replacement for Cummal Mooar had been scrapped and the care home would be decommissioned within two years.

But, Lawrie Hooper said it was intended the home would "stay open until the new facility is built".

Manx Care previously said no timeframe for any replacement was in place.

Mr Hooper said there had been a "miscommunication" with Manx Care.

He said the department was undertaking a "re-scoping" exercise to review what is required for the town, "to get a better understanding of the future needs" of the area.

That would be based on conversations with people living in Ramsey and the north, he said.

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper said a "re-scoping" exercise would assess the future needs of the town

A petition calling for the announced closure to be reversed was launched on Thursday, gaining more than 800 signatures.

It followed a statement from Manx Care which said, following a change in demand for the facilities and a drive to keep people in their homes longer, the plans for a modernised replacement residential home were no longer what was needed for the town.

Although the healthcare provider said there would be a facility in the north "in the coming years", when or what it would look like could not yet be confirmed, but it was unlikely an alternative would be in place before Cummal Mooar was decommissioned.

In response, Mr Hopper said: "There's been a bit of a breakdown somewhere, there's something to be learned here from the way we communicate with each other."

"Nothing will be done without proper engagement with residents, with staff and with the community."