Manx Care was forced to cancel elective procedures after adult bed occupancy reached 98.9% and critical care hit similar level, Tynwald has heard.
Health Minister Claire Christian faced further questions on the Opal Four escalation that led to 19 elective cases being stood down over two days last week.
She confirmed that around 280 patients attended the emergency department during that 48-hour period, with approximately 60 admissions.
“Discharges were not keeping pace with admissions,” Ms Christian told Tynwald. “Around 12 patients were waiting for an inpatient bed in the emergency department.”
She said the suspension of elective activity, releasing 28 beds, was the second occasion in the past 18 months that Manx Care had applied a “true Opal Four response”.
“This was not routine practice but a response to an exceptional surge in demand,” she said.
Ramsey
Dr Michelle Haywood asked whether the temporary closure of Ramsey’s Minor Injuries Unit had diverted patients to Noble’s.
Ms Christian confirmed the loss of flexibility had been a contributory factor, adding that before its closure the Ramsey unit had been seeing around 40 patients a day.
Julie Edge however pressed for details on who made the decision to cancel procedures, asking whether patients were already on trolleys outside theatres.
Ms Christian said those questions were “beyond my technical ability” but committed to providing clinical definitions and bed occupancy figures to members.
She confirmed the independent review of bed capacity at Noble’s Hospital is under way, with a report expected by the end of May.
A&E ‘not structured in a modern way’
Rob Callister asked whether the emergency department should be returned to its original design.
Ms Christian said: “The A&E, in the sense of the way that it is currently structured, is not structured in a modern healthcare way. The flow is very restrictive.”
She said funding had been approved for redesign work but cautioned: “This is not something that will happen overnight.”