Elective surgery to resume at Noble's Hospital after seven-week hiatus

Elective surgery has been on hold at Noble's Hospital since October

Elective surgery at the Isle of Man's main hospital is set to resume after a seven-week hiatus due to staff shortages, Manx Care has said.

An additional theatre to restore a "typical level" of procedures at Noble's Hospital over the winter period will open on Monday.

The services were suspended in mid-October due to difficulties recruiting specialist theatre staff.

Manx Care said it had used the time deliver extra training to staff.

A spokeswoman for Manx Care said the organisation would continue to work with facilities in the UK to offer patients awaiting orthopaedic procedures appointments off the island, in order to "supplement its on-island capacity".

The health care body had also "re-focused its recruitment activity to address some of its staffing shortages", which was a problem also being felt across the UK NHS trusts, she added.

Waiting lists

Chief Executive Teresa Cope said the current "critical workforce challenge" was the "single biggest risk currently facing Manx Care".

Ms Cope said some patients had now been "waiting for their planned care for too long", which was "unacceptable".

"It's important that we do look to secure additional capacity from specialist centres in the UK in the short-term whilst simultaneously progressing our overseas recruitment campaign," she said.

"Quite simply, we cannot continue to address our waiting lists and safely deliver patient care here on-island without doing both of these things."