Manx Care’s annual report is out and with extended waiting lists it highlights the significant and sustained increase in demand across health services.
Only 54% of urgent referrals from a GP to a consultant are being seen within the required six weeks during 2023/24.
Manx Care says this represents a similar level of achievement to the previous year, despite the increasing demand, but continues to fall short of
the 85% standard.
Over the last three years, the waiting list volume for patients waiting for their first outpatient attendance with a consultant has increased by approximately 26%.
The report showed that there were 13,230 patients waiting at the end of 2021/22, and 16,619 waiting at the end of 2023/24.
Primary Care
The main increase in demand within Primary Care has been the volume of referrals received from GPs.
The report revealed an increase of 10.2%, from 14,881 being received in 2021/22 to 16,398 in 2023/24.
The demand from Primary Care services for consultant-led services has increased by around 8.8%, rising from 18,047 in 2021/22 to 19,633 in 2023/24.
Outpatient
Operational challenges and pressures, combined with a continued increase in demand for services since the pandemic, have impaired Manx Care’s ability to provide timely access to consultant-led outpatient services.
Demand for consultant-led services has increased significantly over the first three years of Manx Care’s operation, with the annual number of referrals being received from all sources increasing by 6.2% – from 31,226 in 2021/22 to 33,161 in 2023/24.
The waiting list volume for Follow-Up Outpatient appointments has remained fairly static, with approximately 38,320 patients on the waiting list.
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