Over 3,000 operations have been delivered as part of the second phase of the Restoration and Recovery (R&R) Programme.
More than 847 patients had a hip or knee replaced, 1,794 had their sight improved through cataract operations and 515 had hernias repaired or gallbladders removed.
Since Manx Care’s R&R Programme began in November 2021 a total of over 3,600 operations have now been delivered, over 1,900 diagnostic tests undertaken and more than 300 mental health referrals supported.
The £18.3 million second phase of the programme focused on reducing waiting lists for orthopaedic (knee and hip), ophthalmic (cataracts) and general surgery procedures.
This was successful in all three areas, reducing the number of people waiting for an operation as well as the amount of time spent on the waiting list.
Between assessment and operation the average wait time for ophthalmology has been reduced by 33 weeks, for orthopaedics by 16 weeks and general surgery by 28 weeks.
The waiting lists have also been reduced by 83%, 47% and 60% for those areas.
Minister for Health and Social Care, Lawrie Hooper MHK, said:
‘Our commitment to reducing hospital waiting lists is about more than the numbers in these reports, it’s about transforming the lives of the patients that have had or are waiting for operations. By funding this initiative we’ve not only been able to treat more patients and address the immediate backlogs, but waiting lists will be significantly smaller with shorter waiting times – meaning the three areas targeted during phase two are far more resilient and sustainable going forward.
‘These waiting list programmes are highly effective and a further and final phase is proposed as part of the Island Plan. If this is approved I hope that we’ll see a similar positive impact and with the funding that has already been allocated to reduce the CAHMS waiting list we are making significant progress tackling waiting lists across Health and Care services.’
The operations have been delivered by Manx Care Clinical teams and UK provider PHL Synaptik, who were commissioned to work alongside the surgical teams already based at Noble’s Hospital to increase Manx Care’s existing capacity and introduce additional teams to perform surgeries, treatments and Consultations.
The final report on phase two providing a detailed update on the programme, will be laid before the June sitting of Tynwald. It gives an overview of the amount spent, number of operations delivered and current waiting times as part of the programme.
Over the summer Manx Care will be sharing patient stories on their social media channels, to highlight the positive impact the programme has had on those individuals who have undergone operations.
The final report is available to read on the Tynwald Register of Business.
