Grim statistics show how stretched the Emergency Department at Noble’s Hospital is with increased waiting times and not enough beds.

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Minister Claire Christian revealed there was an average wait of more than five hours at the Emergency Department (ED) last month which while triage target times have also been missed.

At this week’s House of Keys sitting, Ms Christian answered a question from Arbory, Malew and Castletown MHK Jason Moorhouse on what the average waiting times were at the ED in each of the last three months and on how many occasions during this period a bed was not available to carry out an initial assessment.

In November 2024 the average waiting time was 266 minutes (almost four-and-a-half hours), in December it was 282 minutes (more than four-and-a-half hours) and in January this year it was 315 minutes (five-and-a-quarter hours).

It is unclear what targets Manx Care has but in the UK waiting time targets tend to be under four hours.

Triage targets also do not make for good reading. The target to see a patient to assess and categorise the injury or medical condition should be within 15 minutes of arrival.

But in November 2024 it was 19 minutes, December 2024 was 21 minutes and January 25 it was 25 minutes.

Ms Christian says all category 1 patients (the most serious cases) were seen almost immediately (between 0-10 minutes).

The minister said the department was trying to address the longer waiting times by introducing ‘faster methods of diagnosis’ and ‘ensuring patients are seen by the most appropriate clinician’.

She said: ‘We are focusing on reducing waiting times at the ED by looking at alternative options rather than through 999 calls.’

She said ambulance staff can provide more treatment on the scene or at the patient’s home while also working more closely with GPs to try and reduce the number of people going to A&E for assessment when they cannot get a doctor’s appointment.

Despite the long waiting times, Ms Christian says the island is performing favourably when compared to elsewhere.

She said: ‘Comparisons to statistics reported by NHS England indicate that patients attending Noble’s ED are waiting for slightly less time than patients attending a major A&E department in England.’

She also told members significant investment had been made in staffing levels to bring them up to industry standard.

But she conceded the emergency department was 40% below the recommended size for the demand which sees an average of 110 people attend the it each day.

She said: ‘When the hospital is busy, there are insufficient beds which can mean a prolonged stay in the ED.’

She said consultants have a protocol in place to identify those who can remain in the waiting room.

Ms Christian said: ‘While this is far from ideal, it’s the only way to ensure patients are assessed in clinical order as quickly as possible.’

She was also questioned as to whether the issues had got worse since Manx Care had taken over but she said demand had been growing quickly over the last 10 years, revealed 31,393 patients had attended the Emergency Department in 2011 compared with 45,771 in 2023.