Isle of Man out-of-hours doctors service suspended for training

Urgent and emergency care will still be available at Noble's Hospital, Manx Care says

The Isle of Man's out-of-hours doctors service is set to be suspended for two nights to allow for staff training.

Manx Care said the Manx Emergency Doctors Service (MEDS) helpline would close between midnight and 08:00 BST on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The healthcare provider said urgent and emergency care would still be available at Noble's Hospital's emergency department.

Those with a life-threatening emergency "should always call 999", she added.

The service was previously temporarily closed in December due to staff sickness, but reopened soon afterwards.

Meanwhile, the operation of the MEDS service will be extended on Thursday to provide emergency advice when GP practices close early for training.

The line will be available when surgeries close island-wide between 13:00 and 18:00.

Manx Care said the closure would allow all clinical and administrative staff to "receive the essential training and development they need to deliver the best possible service, and to remain fully trained and up to date with skills".

All services are expected to return to normal hours on Friday.