Community
MHK ‘Surprised’ by Decision
Manx Care announced that, among other reasons, spiralling costs meant the Cummal Mooar replacement scheme was no longer in its plans.
Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson has told Gef he was ‘surprised’ to learn of Manx Care’s decision not to see through plans for a new care home in Ramsey.
Manx Care announced yesterday that, among other reasons, spiralling costs meant the Cummal Mooar replacement scheme, announced during the last administration, was no longer in its plans.
The building of the new facility, on the Cooil Ny Marrey site on Ramsey’s Waterloo Road, was approved by the DHSC in 2018.
However, this week Manx Care said ‘for a number of reasons including a significant increase in construction costs, the reduced demand for residential care and the need to review the long-term needs of services in the North of the Island, Manx Care has decided to not proceed with this development’.
Dr Allinson told Gef: ‘I was surprised to learn of Manx Care’s decision not to proceed with a replacement scheme for Cummal Mooar. I understand that this is a long term strategic decision and that there are no current implications for the residents or staff.
‘I will be asking for a meeting with Manx Care to guarantee a provision for those needing residential care in the North and also a guarantee regarding the future of the dedicated staff working at this facility who go above and beyond to care for their residents and support the wider community.’
No Replacement
Manx Care quoted a figure of £13m for the scheme, which it said would cost £12.75m in 2022.
The health provider also said: ‘Analysis of the future direction of residential care has shown that facilities such as Cummal Mooar will not be so widely required going forward, as Social Care colleagues work to ensure that individuals are not prematurely accommodated in long-term care. Instead, the aim will be to support people at home as far as possible, through a “Home First” approach, which allows people to stay safe and as independent as possible at home.
‘Therefore, replacing the facility with its modern equivalent would not be the most effective use of funding at this time. Those requiring long-term care will be more likely to require more specialist care (for example for those living with dementia or requiring long-term nursing care).’
There has been concern raised by some families in the north over what will happen to their loved ones as Manx Care has said Cummal Mooar will close within the next two years, likely before new Manx Care provision is available in the north.
This will leave both the west and north of the island with only privately run care homes.
We have also asked Dr Allinson’s constituency colleague Mr Hooper for a comment. In his role as DHSC Minister, Mr Hooper was keen to stress on Twitter that plans have not been axed, but rather changed.
Plans changed – not ‘axed’ @TurtonSam
The plan is still for a replacement facility in the North but it will likely be different to what was originally proposed, in order to meet the needs of the community https://t.co/fIXis6S8El
— Lawrie Hooper MHK (@LawrieHooper) July 27, 2023
