With the planned weather forecast of heavy snow tomorrow afternoon (Thursday 09 March 2023), we want to provide you with an update on the working arrangement that we have put in place across our services. This is based on what we know now, and may well change as the weather sets in.
Appointments and services tomorrow
If you have a hospital appointment booked for the morning, this will go ahead as planned. However, all face to face outpatient appointments planned for tomorrow afternoon will be cancelled – please do not attend if this affects you. Some appointments may be able to be carried out over the phone instead – you will be contacted to confirm if your appointment will be via telephone. If you are not contacted, please assume your appointment is cancelled and you will receive an invitation for a new appointment in due course. All Day Case activity, including endoscopy, has also been cancelled, and all people affected have already been contacted; however, inpatient admissions are continuing as planned.
Appointments planned to start or continue into tomorrow afternoon that are deemed as urgent will continue to take place, you will be contacted if this applies to you. For example, this will apply to anyone who is due to receive oncology treatment, haemodialysis or other urgent therapy. If you have any concerns about a planned appointment tomorrow, please contact the unit where you are due to receive the treatment via telephone (direct dial or via Manx Care switchboard 650000).
Maternity appointments due to take place in the afternoon will be cancelled – you will be contacted if this affects you. Similarly, any women who are due to give birth will also be contacted. If any pregnant woman has any concerns or needs advice, they should not hesitate to contact our maternity unit on 650030 where our Midwives will be happy to help.
Those with invitations to routine breast screenings can still attend if they are invited for a morning screening, however those invited for the afternoon will be contacted and sent a new invitation in due course. Please do not attend if you were invited for an afternoon routine screening.
Any community-based appointments planned for the afternoon will be cancelled, with any urgent appointments to be moved to the morning – you will be contacted if this affects you.
All day services for Older People and those with Learning Disabilities will be closed. Anyone affected will be contacted.
If you have a GP appointment, this will go ahead unless you are contacted by your practice to change this. Please be reminded that the Manx Emergency Doctors Service (MEDS) is for emergencies - for anything routine, please contact your own GP practice at the next opportunity.
Mental Health services will be operating as normal in the morning, but will be working remotely in the afternoon - if this affects you, you will be contacted by your mental health practitioner. Brunswick Gardens and Next Step will be closed in the afternoon. The Crisis team and Manannan Court will be available via phone as normal.
The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service (MCISS) is picking up voicemails (650735), and will respond to emails on MacmillanCancerInformationCentre.Nobles@gov.im
Urgent and emergency care tomorrow
If you do need to attend a Manx Care site, please take great care whilst travelling. If you are based in the North, please attend Ramsey’s Minor Injuries and Illnesses Unit (MIU) if you need to access urgent care. An Emergency Medicine Consultant will be based at MIU on Thursday and Friday to support our experienced Nurse Practitioners.
Please remember to keep warm, and if you have any elderly or vulnerable family/friends, please check on them and make sure they are keeping safe and warm. If you do go out in the snow, please take care - it may be more difficult to get to hospital if you need it at this time.
These decisions have not been taken lightly. Whilst some roads may be accessible, the safety of patients and colleagues travelling to and from Manx Care sites across the Island is our priority. However we urge the population to access urgent care normally if they need it – the Ambulance Service (999) and the Noble’s Emergency Department will be open 24h and Ramsey Minor Injuries Unit, MEDS and your GP Practice will be operating during their normal opening hours to continue to provide urgent treatment.
The Manx Care Advice and Liaison Service (MCALS) are picking up voicemails, and will respond to emails.
Stay safe and take care.
