A fifth of health letters waiting more than a month to be sent

Work to cut waiting lists and staff shortages blamed for delays

More than a fifth of letters to Manx patients aren't sent out for more than a month after being dictated by a doctor.

Health Minister Rob Callister has published figures showing that at the start of October, almost 3,000 letters were waiting to be typed up and dispatched, nearly 600 of which had been waiting for one to two months.

Ophthalmology is one of the areas worst affected, with 43% of letters taking up to two months to be sent, while four had been waiting for two to three months.

Gastroenterology, Oncology and Dermatology all had more than 30% of their letters waiting for one to two months.

The Department of Health and Social Care says work to reduce waiting lists in certain specialities and a shortage of clinical staff has contributed to the backlog.