Cummal Mooar no more

Fri, 28 Jul 2023

Manx Care have said it is unable to replace Ramsey residential home Cummal Mooar due to constructions costs of £13m.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) approved the building of a new facility in 2018. It was to be constructed on land at the Cooil Ny Marrey site on Waterloo Road, Ramsey.

According to Manx Care, there are 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” resulting in the decision to not proceed with this development.

The decision to decommission Cummal Mooar is a U-turn on the commitment Lawrie Hooper, Ramsey MHK and Minister for Department of Health and Social Care showed back in 2022, when the he said the new construction would be “an important step in what will be a pivotal development for the people of the north of the island”.

At the time he added that the current facility had “played an incredibly important part" in the lives of residents, their families and within the community for more than 40 years.

Cummal Mooar is one of three resource centres on the Island run by Manx Care that provides residential care for older people. However, Manx Care have said “due to its age and design, the facility is no longer entirely fit for purpose”.

Manx Care added that it will now “aim” to support people at home as far as possible, through a “Home First” approach, which it says allows people to stay safe and as independent as possible at home.

The maximum amount of time before the residential home will be decommissioned is two years. Manx Care said that “it is likely that the facility will close before new Manx Care provision is available in the North of the Island”.

It said that “in this instance, we will work with residents and their families to ensure that they are moved to appropriate alternative accommodation (be that Manx Care or Private)”.

Manx Care also said there will be “no imminent redundancies as a result of this news” and would like to “reassure” colleagues, residents of the home and their families and friends of this.

Ramsey residents have started a petition to ask the Government to reverse this decision and keep the existing building open until an alternative is built.

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