Doctors call for increase in hospital bed capacity

A group of medics have called for 50 more inpatient beds to be added to the Isle of Man's main hospital due to a "critical" lack of spaces.

The Medical Staff Committee (MSC), which is made up of 75 senior doctors and consultants, has called for immediate government intervention to address the "shortfall".

Manx Care said while bed spaces had dropped 16.5% since its creation in 2021, occupancy levels for 2025-26 were 86.9%, which was within limits considered safe.

Although there had been times of severe pressure when that level exceeded 90%, those levels were often seen in winter, a Manx Care spokesperson added.

The MSC raised its concerns over pressure on bed spaces following an extraordinary meeting on Friday, which saw the committee pass a formal resolution calling for intervention.

The committee said it had presented operational data demonstrating that the current capacity was "insufficient to safely support the simultaneous demands of the emergency admissions and planned surgical procedures".

Beyond the "logistical strain" the committee said there had been "profound moral injury" experienced by doctors.

It said that was a "deep psychological distress" due to the gap between "their professional ethics and the daily operational reality" of the island's healthcare environment.

It said, prior to the establishment of Manx Care, the hospital had 314 beds and the current restricted number was "severely limiting" spaces for post-operative recovery and leading to the postponement of planned procedures.

Of the 233 beds reported by Manx Care, only 168 were able to be used by emergency department patients - representing a 46% reduction from the pre-2021 figure, the MSC said.

The committee said there was a "critical need for clinical coordination, adequate staffing, and a more heavily medically-led approach to organisational decision-making".

Those, it said, were "vital to restoring systems that support safe, timely patient care and repairing the ethical foundation of the hospital".

In response, Manx Care said while no more bed space could be opened on the Noble's site, the Day Procedure Suite had been used overnight at times to alleviate bed pressure, and additional beds in places like nursing homes has been bought for those medically fit to leave hospital.

Enabling more care in the community had seen medically fit patients occupying beds reduce from an average of 23 to five, it said.

Steps were also being taken to create a 12-space extended assessment area in the emergency department for those who needed more time for assessment but not to be admitted, it added.

The Health and Social Care Minister is set to face an urgent question about the concerns raised during the March sitting of Tynwald, which begins on Tuesday.

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