Future of Cummal Mooar to be discussed this week

DHSC to meet with stakeholders to determine next steps for residential home

A meeting will take place this week to discuss the future of Cummal Mooar, but the residential home's replacement is expected to be at least two to three years away.

Health Minister Claire Christian has published an update on the project following a series of Tynwald written questions from Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper.

Minister Christian has reiterated that Cummal Mooar will remain operational until a replacement is commissioned and ready, which will take a minimum of two to three years subject to agreed service delivery model, funding and construction.

She confirmed urgent remedial work is needed though to tackle fire safety risks, health and safety concerns and infection prevention and control.

Reactive maintenance costs over the next 18 months are expected to cost £1.5-2million, on top of annual running costs of £1million.

The minister acknowledged in her responses that there have been no formal updates issued in recent months, and apologised for the absence of clear communication to date.

She says resource constraints within her department have affected progress, but Department of Health and Social Care has now established a Capital Steering Group, which will have its first meeting in early November.

Officers from DHSC and Manx Care have recently met to discuss Cummal Mooar with what Minister Christian describes as "a clear endorsement from the department's political leadership to advance the project".

She confirmed the next milestone will be a stakeholder meeting, taking place on Tuesday 4 November, to determine the intended purpose of the Cummal Mooar site, adding that the department remains committed to progressing the scheme, and will provide a full update to the public in the coming days.