Dialysis patients displaced from Ramsey Cottage Hospital say the ongoing closure has left them facing long travel times, missed transport, cramped waiting areas and exhausted staff.
Craig McHugh told Manx.News the move to Noble’s, announced informally “two weeks before Christmas”, has created severe disruption, with patients placed into morning, afternoon and evening shifts and relying on transport that often fails to arrive.
“Sometimes the transport doesn’t show up” he said. One patient was left unsure how she would get home during heavy snow after taxis refused to travel north.
Staff shortages have intensified pressure, with only two consultants covering six‑day weeks and nurses working extra hours. “I can see the staff are at breaking point,” McHugh said.
Patients say communication from Manx Care has been minimal, with shifting return dates, April, then June, July, now September, and no clear update.
A planned mobile dialysis unit was delayed after planning permission was overlooked, then reportedly stalled due to funding.
McHugh said patients feel unsupported: “We’ve had no one from Manx Care come to sit down and speak to us… people are struggling.”
