More outpatient clinics to reduce patient travel

Having orthopaedic consultants hold regular clinics at the Isle of Man's main hospital will reduce the need for patients to travel to the UK as often, Manx Care has said.

The island's health care provider has arranged for specialist Lyndon Mason to carry out a foot and ankle clinic every two months at Noble's Hospital.

It follows a similar move last month when the first dedicated shoulder outpatient clinics were held by Wrightington Hospital consultant Professor Puneet Monga.

Bringing consultants from the UK to deliver on-island clinics is part of Manx Care’s plans to cut £5m from its deficit, by reducing the cost of patient transfers.

While the outpatients clinics would reduce the need for patients to travel for consultations, operations would still be carried out in the UK.

Prof Mason, who the foot and ankle lead at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been treating Isle of Man patients for the past 10 years.

Manx Care said that the new clinic “vastly improves the patient experience for this particular cohort of patients, who often struggle to manage the journey off-island”.

The healthcare provider said, similarly to Prof Monga’s shoulder clinics, the foot and ankle orthopaedic clinic “will also provide an educational opportunity for our local team to gain valuable clinical experience", specifically in trauma training education.

Chief executive Teresa Cope said the clinics showed a "commitment to improve the patient experience and journey by decreasing the number of off-island visits required for these specialisms".

“We hope to announce a further clinic in the near future to enhance the provision of specialist clinics on-island," she added.

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