Noble’s Still Under Pressure

People needing medical attention are being asked to only go to Noble’s A&E if they need to.

Makes you wonder who goes for a day out really.

Noble’s Hospital is currently operating at OPEL 4 status, meaning the facility is operating under extreme pressure.

Anyone who requires urgent or emergency treatment at Noble’s will receive this, and should continue to seek treatment there as needed. They will be treated in order of clinical priority.

The Minor Injuries and Illnesses Unit (MIU) at Ramsey District and Cottage Hospital is able to offer an X-Ray service between 9am and 5pm this week (Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 December), and members of the people are asked to attend the MIU if they require an X-Ray or suspect they have an injury which will require an X-Ray.

The MIU is able to treat a complex range of conditions including dislocations or breaks, sprains, minor head injuries where there has been no loss of consciousness, minor illnesses such as urine or water infections, ear, eye and throat infections, abdominal pain, abscesses and boils, muscular pain, headaches, rashes, cuts, burns, scalds and emergency contraception. The facility is open from 8am to 8pm.

Other options available to members of the public across this week and at the weekend are:

• The Manx Emergency Doctor Service (MEDS) – a GP service which operates out of hours when the Island’s GP surgeries are closed (01624 650355)
• Community Pharmacies, the rota for which can be found here: https://www.gov.im/categories/health-and-wellbeing/pharmacy-services/pharmacy-rota/#accordion
• The Community Dental Service for patients who have a dental emergency but don’t have their own dentist (01624 642785)
• Self-care (self-treatment at home)

Manx Care’s signposting brochure contains the full range of options available to members of the public, and is available in multiple languages: www.gov.im/signposting

Manx Care’s Mark Cox said: ‘Noble’s is operating at OPEL 4 status as a result of the number of individuals who require admission to hospital for further treatment, however there is very limited capacity within our hospitals to accommodate them. The OPEL framework is used daily across the UK NHS to describe the operating pressures on a hospital, and is a recognised framework for managing patient flow and demand across acute healthcare settings. I hope this will reassure members of the public that this position is being closely managed to ensure patient safety is maintained.’