Patients referred for urgent gastro appointments could wait six months

And routine patients not being seen face to face

Patients who've been urgently referred to the Isle of Man’s gastroenterology service could be forced to wait six months to be seen.

Manx Care has admitted that high priority appointments, for patients referred in December, are being booked from June onwards.

That's unless an earlier appointment becomes available - it goes against the health body's aim of seeing people deemed 'urgent' within six weeks.

Patients waiting for routine referrals to gastroenterology are not currently being offered the option of a face-to-face appointment.

Manx Care has confirmed it has no formal waiting time standards for those referred to the service routinely but is looking to introduce an 18-week waiting time as standard within the ‘current administration’.

It’s also working with third-party provider Medefer which is, with individual permission, scheduling virtual consultations with off-Island gastro consultants.  

As of 15 December 2022 there were 2,600 open outpatient referrals to the consultant gastroenterology team at Noble’s Hospital.

Of these 2,382 were open to the one locum consultant employed by Manx Care and 182 were open to private firm Medefer.

There were 717 open outpatient referrals to the nurse and 85 open inpatient waiting list entries.

The fulltime, employed, position of consultant gastroenterologist was advertised by the Isle of Man Government in 2022 and only attracted one application.

Currently the locum consultant is supported by a locum acute physician, who specialises in gastroenterology, a staff grade doctor, an advanced nurse practitioner and a specialist nurse.

Manx Radio understands some gastroenterology patients, already open to the service, have had their routine appointments cancelled with no explanation and no further appointment scheduled.

Manx Care says it will write to patients to cancel appointments if there is more than one week’s notice but will not document the reason for the cancellation.

No information on support or advice for patients is provided within the letter.

Instead the health body has now stated it advises patients who have worsening symptoms, whilst waiting for an appointment, to contact their GP or attend Accident and Emergency.

The information has been released as part of a response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Manx Radio – Manx Care has been invited to comment further.