Emergency calls triage system better for patients, Manx Care says

The new model of dealing with emergency calls aims to see fewer hospital admissions

The way emergency calls are responded to is set to be overhauled across the Isle of Man in early 2024, Manx Care has said.

Clinical navigators will assess calls to see whether patients needed an ambulance or could be treated at home.

The triaging system is currently being piloted during daytime hours in the emergency services joint control room.

Manx Care CEO Teresa Cope said the system of deploying ambulances had not changed in 30 years.

She said currently 90% of those calling 999 were taken to hospital, which was "no longer contemporary or relevant or cost effective".

The hospital, which was built 20 years ago to cope with 20,000 emergency department attendances per year, is seeing double that figure and is constantly operating at "between 95% and 98% occupancy", she said.

Teresa Cope outlined the plans at the government conference

Under the new arrangements, patients could be signposted to primary care services, like GPs, if appropriate.

One-off transformation funding for the new system of urgent and emergency care has been secured to allow for the changes.

The new way of working would mean "if you don't need to come to hospital we will have alternative arrangements, we will clinically assess you and make sure it's safe for you to use those alternative arrangements", she said.

But Ms Cope said she needed to "absolutely stress" that "if you need an ambulance, you will get an ambulance sent to you".

Funding has also been secured for a system of intermediate care, which would sit between primary care - offered by GPs - and hospital care.

That would allow care to be stepped up when needed for those receiving primary care, and stepped down for those receiving hospital treatment who are well enough to leave, Manx care said.

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