Government was offered to purchase Abbotswood nursing home for the price of £6.3m - but with a raft of conditions attached.

The Department of Health and Social Care took over the running of the Ballasalla-based nursing home when it became the focus of a Covid outbreak.

Twenty residents died. The remaining ones were moved out after the DHSC rejected the owner’s offer of a lease.

Health Minister David Ashford was asked in Tynwald by recently-sacked minister Chris Thomas about the terms of the offer to take over the home.

Mr Ashford said that in the short term Abbotswood advised the DHSC could remain in their premises for a rent of £29,000 a month, with the department responsible for all utilities, insurance and interior decoration.

Restrictions were imposed on bringing in furniture or equipment without express permission. It would also have been a ’tenancy at will’ which meant Abbotswood would be able to bring the tenancy to an end without notice.

Two options were presented in the long-term.

The first was a lease for 10 years with no break provision at a rent of £350,000 per annum. Rent would be reviewed, upwards only, after five years.

The property could only be used as a nursing home and the DHSC would be responsible for all maintenance and repairs.

Mr Ashford said the department would only have the option to purchase if it entered into the lease. The price was £6.3m which he said was a ’significant deviation’ to the figure given by the government valuer.

He said there were a number of other matters that were unacceptable including that the site would still remain subject to a use restriction.