Reinstatement of Suspended Mental Health Services Confirmed

The chief minister has confirmed that two mental health services, which were suspended as part of Manx Care’s £5 million savings program, are scheduled for reinstatement. Kooth and Quell, online platforms offering immediate mental health counseling for adults and young people, had been temporarily halted in an effort to save approximately £30,000. During a session in the House of Keys, Alfred Cannan stated that the decision had been reversed due to “an element of concern” regarding the savings “versus the impact it would have.” He additionally confirmed that the complete temporary closure of the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at Ramsey Cottage Hospital was among the new proposals to further reduce costs that have now been rejected. Manx Care’s operating budget for the current financial year was £347 million, but projections made in September indicated a forecasted overspend of £16.8 million. Consequently, the island’s healthcare provider announced various adjustments to staffing and services, aiming to achieve £5 million in savings by April. These measures encompassed a reduction in elective surgery days, decreased expenditure on bank and agency staff, and the temporary suspension of Kooth and Quell. Cannan informed MHKs that, even though these savings had received prior approval, it was subsequently determined to be “inappropriate at this stage” to pause the mental health support services. The chief minister further detailed additional measures proposed by Manx Care for another round of efficiencies, which the healthcare provider’s board did not support, and which the Council of Ministers concurred should not be pursued. These proposals included plans to decrease overnight ambulance provision, to not restart the shingles vaccine program, and to avoid transferring critically unwell patients overnight. Also among the proposals were reviewing contracts held by the healthcare body with other non-statutory health and care service providers, suspending the contract for the helicopter emergency medical service, and discontinuing funded patient escorts. While the complete temporary closure of Ramsey Cottage Hospital’s MIU until April was rejected, the facility will nonetheless continue to be closed on weekends until at least the end of the year, aiming to achieve £15,000 in agency staff savings. A statement from the Council of Ministers on Monday ruled out the temporary closure of wards at Noble’s Hospital and the Manx Emergency Doctor Service. Despite the rejection of this new set of proposed cost-saving measures, Cannan stated that Manx Care would still be obligated to continue implementing its current savings measures and to identify additional opportunities for savings “to achieve financial balance while protecting critical frontline services to the public above all else.”