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Will staffing issues affect a privately owned care home’s hopes of opening?

But the Port Erin based facility still has a number of staff to recruit

Bradda View Nursing Home could house as many as 72 residents, and provide jobs for more than 80 staff.

The care home itself is expected to be handed over to the LV Care Group in May.

However, it's not due to open for at least a month after that, because the staff responsible for caring for the residents need to be trained.

But, in order to train staff, you have to recruit them first - something we continually hear is challenging in both the public and private sectors.

Ceri Powell is from the LV Care Group - she explains their recruitment drive is just getting started:

Nurses, healthcare assistants and chefs are among the positions available.

But according to data from Statistics Isle of Man, the sectors with the highest number of vacancies are the medical and health field and catering industry.

Recruitment and retention continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing the health sector as a whole.

Tynwald will be asked to approve a £30 million overspend next month, but Health and Social Care Minister Lawrie Hooper says this isn't Manx Care's fault:

Bradda View Care Home's owners insist they're keen to offer opportunities to those looking to work in the sector.

It adds 'no formal qualifications' are required for some roles, but candidates with 'integrity' are favoured more highly:

The facility is due to be handed over at a similar time that Manx Care's new residential home - Summerhill View in Douglas - will be handed over too.

However, the health body revealed it would need a 'substantial' amount of additional funding to staff it, and is considering bringing in a private provider to operate it, as Chief Executive Teresa Cope explains:

So, is it likely the privately owned Bradda View Nursing Home will be ready to open its doors in June?

In short it depends on its recruitment drive, but the organisation adds although it's able to accommodate 72 people, it would be opened in stages.

It's set to host a 'recruitment roadshow' which gets underway at St Catherine's Hall in Port Erin from 2pm until 7pm on Monday (29 January).

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