Elderly people with mental health problems could soon be moved from Gardner House in Ramsey to a new unit in Douglas.

The Department of Health and Social Security is looking to relocate patients to a new purpose built facility at Farmhill.

It follows an independent expert’s advice and strong criticism at a recent Coroner's Court.

Health Minister Eddie Teare told Manx Radio:

"The difficulty is [that] Gardener House is in effect a converted hospital ward, and we've been criticised for operating the facility in that environnment.

"In fact, the expression 'not fit for purpose' has been used.

"So, we feel that we have no alternative but to review what options are available.

"For the last two years we've been looking at alternative sites in the Ramsey area, where we could build a new purpose built facility, but unfortunately, so far, our search hasn't been successful."