Liverpool Airport patient lounge opens to Manx patients

Covid-19 restrictions mean some patients have nowhere to go after treatment

Manx people receiving medical treatment in the UK will be able to use a private lounge at Liverpool Airport while waiting for their flights home.

Where care is not available on-island, patients are brought to England via the government's transfer service.

UK Covid measures have left some with nowhere to go after having treatment.

Health Minister David Ashford said the lounge access meant patients would have a "comfortable, secure and convenient place to wait".

Some forms of specialist medical care, including some cancer treatments, scans and surgeries, are unavailable on the island.

Prior to the pandemic, an estimated 17,000 annual journeys were made between the Isle of Man and the UK through the transfer service.

'Added stress'

Patients must leave treatment centres immediately after their appointment due to coronavirus restrictions but are unable to check in for their return journey until two hours prior to departure.

A quiet room is available at Liverpool Airport when waiting for a flight, but it is only accessible after passing through security.

Carole Male, of the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group, said the private lounge was "very good news" and would help relieve some of the "added stress" involved in travelling for treatment.

She added that patients could be required to "hang about" for up to six hours for a return flight following their appointment, which was "risky" as many are immuno-suppressed.

"The private jet lounge is a much better option at the moment," she said.

The lounge is in a separate building to the main airport terminal and transport to check-in will be provided.

Under the Isle of Man's coronavirus restrictions, those travelling to the UK for treatment must self-isolate for 14 days upon return.