Almost 10% of patients attending the emergency department at Noble’s Hospital have been waiting up to 12 hours to be seen, according to figures revealed in Tynwald this week.

Health and Social Care Minister Claire Christian disclosed the data during proceedings after Onchan MHK Julie Edge raised concerns about hospital bed capacity and pressure on emergency services.

In February 2026, 311 patients waited 12 hours or more in the emergency department, representing almost 10% of all attendees.

The department also met the four-hour treatment target for just 57% of patients during the same period.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has commissioned an independent rapid review into bed capacity at Noble’s Hospital, which would examine current pressures and future demand.

She said the review ‘will build on engagement with frontline staff’ and ‘provide independent assurance on the actions already underway’, although she was unable to give a confirmed timeframe for when it would report.

Responding to concerns about safety and performance, Ms Christian defended the work of frontline staff.

‘Having been there myself, I can absolutely confirm and say to the honourable member and to constituents and to the wider public that I saw absolute excellent service level from the clinical staff,’ she said.

She added that efforts to meet waiting time targets must not come at the expense of clinical judgement.

‘It is so important that we don’t just try and hit a target when it’s patients that should come first,’ she said.

The pressures come amid ongoing concern from senior clinicians about bed availability and patient flow.

The Medical Staff Committee (MSC), which represents around 75 consultants and senior doctors, has previously warned of a ‘critical shortfall in inpatient bed capacity’, arguing that it is impacting emergency admissions, planned operations and patient safety.

Doctors have suggested the hospital may require around 210 beds to meet minimum UK standards and have called for an immediate increase of approximately 50 inpatient beds.

However, Manx Care has disputed those figures, stating that Noble’s Hospital currently operates with 233 beds and that occupancy levels remain broadly within safe thresholds.

The DHSC has said the independent review will consider whether current capacity is sufficient and how effectively existing mitigations are working.

A number of operational changes are already underway to help relieve pressure on services.

A 12-space Emergency Department Clinical Decisions Unit, initially due to open by the end of April, has been delayed until the end of May due to recruitment taking longer than expected.

A modular unit at Ramsey District Cottage Hospital is expected to be introduced from mid-May to provide minor injuries and radiology services.

The Department has also indicated plans to increase acute bed capacity at Noble’s through the relocation of Martin Ward back to Ramsey.

Ms Christian said there was ‘no single solution’ to the challenges facing the system, but that ongoing measures reflected ‘proactive steps being taken to address immediate concerns’ while longer-term work continued.