Senior leaders at Manx Care have said that the Emergency Department at Noble’s is no longer fit for purpose and is a high priority for future capital funding.
Appearing before the Social Affairs Policy Review Committee, Chief Executive Theresa Cope explained the 20-year-old facility was designed for far fewer patients.
“The number of patients now using the emergency department has doubled,” she said. “Its layout is not particularly designed around what is contemporary estate for an emergency department.”
Modern
Interim Director of Operations, Sean Stacey, added that the current space hinders modern care. “The space in the department that’s 20 years old doesn’t facilitate that,” he said. “The building, our current building, doesn’t really reflect that ability to flow from one area to another.”
Ms Cope confirmed that while funding is in place to begin scoping and drawing plans, the full capital required for the rebuild has not yet been agreed.
The officials emphasised that a redesigned department would better support ‘same day emergency care’, improving the experience for patients and staff, and potentially reducing hospital admissions.
When asked what is driving the increased demand, Mr Stacey cited an ageing population with higher needs and a public perception that a full package of care is best accessed at the hospital.