The number of patients spending more than 12 hours in Noble’s Hospital Emergency Department rose by 18% in 2025-26, according to Manx Care’s annual report published today (Tuesday).
The report says 355 more patients experienced waits of over 12 hours than in the previous year. It also records a rise of 283 in the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours specifically for an inpatient bed.
Manx Care says delays are being driven by a shortage of available beds and difficulties moving patients through the hospital.
Just 63.6% of patients attending the Emergency Department were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours during 2025-26, against a target of 78%.
The report, which is from April 2025 to April 2026, says 19.3% of patients who needed to be admitted were dealt with within four hours, meaning 80.7% waited longer.
Attendance at Noble’s Emergency Department remained relatively stable at more than 37,600 visits a year, the report says. The department was built in 2003 to handle about 20,000 attendances annually.
Manx Care says high patient acuity and a lack of inpatient beds have restricted the flow of patients through the hospital, contributing to prolonged waits in the Emergency Department.
The figures are included in the Manx Care Annual Report 2025-26, published on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the report, it confirmed Manx Care overspent its operating budget by £14.9 million (spending £376.7m against a £361.8m budget target).
To keep operations afloat, Manx Care required an extra £23.7 million in additional fund claims approved by the DHSC and Treasury.
Tynwald voted in June to approve a supplementary vote of £19m for the Department of Health and Social Care which covered Manx Care’s budget overspend of £14.9m.