Millions of pounds has been spent on sending Manx patients for off-island care at acute mental health facilities.

Since April 2020, a total of 38 patients have received care off-island with eight of those under 18.

Some of those have been sent to facilities in the UK as part of court orders while others need specialised care for the likes of eating disorders.

Almost £20 has been spent in that time providing off-island mental health care.

The figures have been revealed by Health and Social Care Minister Claire Christian following a written Tynwald question from Rushen MHK and Speaker Juan Watterson.

He asked her how many off-island placements there have been to acute mental health facilities in the last five years. He also asked what the average duration of stay was, how many have been for people aged under 18 and at what cost.

In her response, Ms Christian said: ‘A total of 38 individual patients received off-island mental health treatment since April 2020. Of these, eight individual patients are or were aged under age 18.

‘Off-island admissions are highly specialised placements including court-ordered or prison transfer to low, medium or high secure forensic settings. Of these, the majority are to medium or low secure wards.

‘The remaining admissions include locked mental health rehabilitation placements (such as after stepping down from low secure forensic wards), placement to specialist perinatal mother and baby units, or placement to specialist eating disorder units.

‘It should be noted that individuals in long-term complex placements may be counted in more than one year, therefore the total numbers may be different to the individual number of patients referred to.’

In 2020-21, 20 patients received off-island care with two of them under 18 years. Six were due to court orders with the average stay standing at 314 days.

In 2021-22, there were 17 patients receiving off-island care with none under 18 years. Six were due to court orders and the average stay was 311.

There was a reduction in 2022-23 with 13 patients and none under 18 but the average stay was 357 days. Again, six were due to court orders.

The numbers rose again in 2023-24 with 22 patients and one under 18 years receiving off-island care with the average day standing at 333 days. A total of seven were subject to court orders.

In 2024-25 there were 24 patients receiving off-island care with two under 18 years. Seven were subject to court orders and the average stay was 299 days.

So far in 2025, 16 patients have received off-island care with three under 18 years. Seven of them have been subject to court orders.

The cost of the off-island mental health care is as follows:

Mental health care has been in the spotlight recently with question marks over the care of those with mental health issues raised at the inquests of Jamie Barrow and Katy Kaslik.

Ms Christian previously said: ‘The Department of Health and Social Care’s legislation programme identifies the need to modernise and reform mental health legislation, however this will be unlikely to progress during this administration (2021-2026).’