From the start of next week, people living on the Isle of Man will begin to receive a brochure outlining all of the health and care options available to them locally.
The brochure, called ‘Signposting your health and care options on the Isle of Man’, has been designed by Manx Care to help residents choose well by understanding the full range of services that are available to support them, from self-care through to urgent and emergency care provided at the Emergency Department (A&E) at Noble’s Hospital using a green-amber-red traffic light system. It is a handy A5 sized document that can be easily stored in a kitchen drawer or on a family noticeboard for future reference. This will also assist members of the public who may not readily use social media, read local newspapers or listen to local radio.
The brochure - which is being delivered by Isle of Man Post Office during week commencing 12 December - covers:
Self-care
- Ensuring you have a small stock of essential self-care items at home to self-treat, for example paracetamol and Ibuprofen, antiseptic cream, plasters and throat lozenges
- Community Pharmacies
- Minor Ailments Scheme (MAS)
Community-based care
- Minor Injuries and Illnesses Unit (MIU) at Ramsey Cottage Hospital
- GP surgeries
- MEDS (Manx Emergency Doctor Service)
- Community Dental Service
- MECS (Minor Eye Conditions Service)
- Mental Health Crisis Team
- Immediate mental health counselling access for adults (QWELL) and young people (Kooth)
Urgent and Emergency Care
- Emergency Department (A&E), Noble’s Hospital
Staff at Isle of Man Post Office will be working overtime to ensure the brochure is ready to be delivered from next week, and out of personal choice will be making a donation to the Isle of Man Foodbank in support of this.
The brochure is also available to download and refer to online on the Signposting and Manx Care websites. The information contained within it is also provided in a number of foreign languages (French, German, Polish, Italian and Spanish) for people who may need these options. This proved especially helpful during TT2022 for the many overseas visitors to the Island.
In addition, Manx Care is beginning a social media campaign to support the launch of its signposting brochure. A number of its clinicians, allied health professionals and Island GPs have recorded a series of short films designed to help people learn more about their services which will be posted on its social media channels (@ManxCare on Facebook and Twitter) across the coming weeks and months. Alongside this, a number of short films have been recorded specifically about the Christmas period by colleagues from Manx Care’s Integrated Mental Health Service, in conjunction with partners from the Isle of Man branch of the Samaritans and the Isle Listen charity. Although this is a happy time for many people, this can be an incredibly challenging time for others. The films provide advice and practical tips for people who may struggle with this time of year. These range from short films of around one minute in length to around four minutes, covering advice on how to cope with feeling socially overwhelmed and enjoying family activities.
Paul Moore, Manx Care’s Executive Director of Nursing and Governance, commented:
“Across the winter period, as demand for healthcare support rises as a result of an increase in things like respiratory illness, it’s really important that people living on the Island fully understand all of the options that are available to them if they need to access our services. By helping people to better understand their options, we hope this will empower them to choose well and not automatically use the Emergency Department at Noble’s Hospital for conditions which could be treated effectively elsewhere. This is really important at any time of the year, but especially so across the winter period when demand for our help is at its peak. We need to try and protect the Emergency Department for the provision of urgent and emergency treatment to those who need us most.
“We know that there are services provided by Manx Care or one of our partners which people don’t know much about, perhaps because these are relatively new - for example MECS (the Minor Eye Conditions Service) provided by Specsavers in Douglas - or the Minor Ailments Scheme (MAS) available through most Community Pharmacies. Although this has been around for some time, it’s a service which people often overlook yet through this people may be able to receive treatment for a broad range of common conditions.
“I’d urge people to please read the brochure when it arrives in their letterboxes and then store it safely for future reference, as well as watch our signposting films on social media. The more people understand about our services, the more they will be able to choose well and make an informed decision about where to seek healthcare advice and support.”
