The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced planned industrial strike action in England from 8pm on Sunday 30 April 2023 to 11:59pm on Monday 1 May 2023, which could potentially impact on Manx Care’s commissioned and directly delivered services.
Nurses in the Isle of Man are not part of current industrial strike action in England.
During this latest action there are no derogations (exemptions from strike action) meaning there will be no services which will be protected from industrial action. The potential risk of serious disruption in England is high, and contingency plans are being put in place across all of our linked hospitals in Cheshire and Merseyside in order to minimise the risk of patient harm. The provision of emergency services could be compromised, which could potentially mean that some of the specialist emergency pathways that Manx Care normally accesses on a regular basis for patients who have suffered a significant injury or adverse medical event may not be available during the period.
The role of Manx Care during any period of industrial action is to ensure that Isle of Man patients are kept as safe as possible, and that services are maintained as effectively as possible. Manx Care is working with all NHS Trusts in Cheshire and Merseyside who routinely provide specialist emergency care to Isle of Man patients to ascertain what their service delivery will look like during the period of industrial action, and is identifying alternative NHS Trusts within the UK (outside of the Cheshire and Merseyside area) to support us as required. This means that where services we would normally access are not available during the period of industrial action, we may need to transfer some individuals who require specialist treatment to locations outside of the North West region. If this occurs, families will be supported by Manx Care to travel to the UK in order to visit loved ones.
Manx Care is also ensuring appropriate senior clinician availability and additional staffing across its urgent and emergency care services should patients require a longer period of stabilisation on-Island during the strike.
Isle of Man patients travelling to the UK for scheduled appointments and operations during the period are also likely to receive cancellations and re-bookings directly from UK hospitals. If patients have not received contact from their UK hospital, they are being advised to check their appointment or operation is still going ahead directly with the UK hospital prior to travelling if it falls during the period. The Manx Care Patient Transfer Office is available to assist patients with re-booking of travel arrangements and advice as required. Patients can call +44 1624 642673 between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays). For urgent assistance outside of the normal Patient Transfer operating hours, please contact the Air Ambulance Service Coordinator on +44 1624 650000.
Anyone who is concerned about this news can contact the Manx Care Advice and Liaison Service Team via email mcals@gov.im or on the phone at +44 1624 642642. Although the team will not be able to add anything further to the position outlined above, they will be able to capture any queries or concerns people may have which may arise from this news.
