Manx Care has confirmed that all non-urgent procedures and appointments off the island have been halted until the end of March due to mounting financial pressure.

The news comes amid fresh reports of appointments being postponed and cancelled in recent days.

Late on Wednesday, former Health Minister Lawrie Hooper shared details of an embargoed press release, issued by Manx Care on January 15 but later withdrawn, which outlined proposed cost-cutting measures.

The health service is facing a projected £15 million overspend by the end of the financial year.

Current Health Minister Claire Christian was expected to answer an urgent question about the cuts in the House of Keys this week but was absent due to illness.

In a new statement issued on Thursday afternoon, Manx Care said it is ‘continuing to face significant financial pressures due to ongoing expenditure challenges.

‘Two key factors driving this situation are off-island referrals, appointments, and procedures, as well as increasing costs associated with delivering clinical and social care services.’

The organisation confirmed that the overspend has risen by £5 million in the past three months, prompting the need for extensive measures.

‘There is a clear requirement from government to stay within our agreed financial envelope, and consequently, Manx Care has to further increase efforts to reduce costs for the remainder of the financial year,’ the statement added.

‘These actions were agreed by the Manx Care Board in early January, and we have been working on implementation plans and discussing the details with the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSC) prior to formal announcement.’

Measures include a temporary reduction in elective care off the island.

Manx Care has asked NHS providers in Liverpool and Manchester to pause non-urgent procedures until March 31. This applies to routine, new, and follow-up appointments, operations, and investigations.

This will effect 60 patients due to have operations.

However, patients needing cancer or other clinically urgent treatment will be prioritised, the arm’s-length healthcare provider confirmed.

Manx Care said that decisions on urgency will be made by clinicians.

‘We are also asking NHS providers to review individual patient pathways with a view to discharging them from specialist care, converting appointments to virtual consultations, or repatriating care back to Manx Care teams,’ the Manx Care statement said.

‘Patients whose off-island operations have been cancelled will be rescheduled after March 31. If you are contacted by an NHS provider about postponement, please inform the Patient Transfer Office to cancel your travel arrangements.’

Manx Care has secured extra funding from Treasury at the 11th hour to reinstate previously planned on-island cancellations, but it says disruption remains likely.

‘We will seek to rearrange any disrupted procedures as early as possible from April 2025 and offer readmission dates at the time,’ the statement added.

‘It is important to state that these actions are not being taken in response to the recently announced settlement of the pay dispute with the British Medical Association (BMA).’

The organisation now plans to conduct a full clinical review of both on-and off-island waiting lists to ensure the most appropriate care pathways are in place.

Manx Care said in a statement: ‘We understand the difficulties these changes will bring for the community and our workforce.’

Chief executive Teresa Cope accepted the situation had not been handled well: ‘It’s not the way I would want to do this.

‘I have been attempting to get this resolved for a number of weeks.

‘I would have wanted to communicate this much sooner, in a much clearer way and give as much reassurance to the public as possible. On behalf of Manx Care I want to extend an apology to patients.’

She said the board of Manx Care had agreed a range of proposals earlier this month but had been over-ruled by the DHSC.

‘I’m attempting to work collaboratively with our politicians and our public but I’m afraid it has backfired on Manx Care and I feel it has personally backfired on me. I’ve been put in an incredibly difficult position,’ she said.

For questions or concerns, contact MCALS at: [email protected] or call 01624 642642.