The Manx public are already making bookings for a brand-new service on the Isle of Man, within 24 hours of it opening. The Crowther Clinic is the brainchild of Hospice Isle of Man, which has been getting innovative in developing new ways to simultaneously raise funds for the organisation while helping more locals. I had the pleasure of speaking with Hospice Isle of Man CEO John Knight, who told me more.

‘The idea comes from us as a team talking about how we could create more sustainable income streams for the Hospice. It was Dr Justine Needham our medical director who said, “well, we have these skills in house already with our doctors, our nurses, and the clinical environment” and, with the rise of private health care and some of the procedures particularly around pain management, the idea was hatched to create a private pain clinic.’

Named in honour of Hospice Isle of Man founder Nadene Crowther, the pain management clinic is wholly separate from Hospice in that it’s an income-generating activity with all profits given back to underpin free hospice care. The services on offer include a range of pain management treatments that aim to reduce the number of locals having to travel off-island for them.

‘We are being quite cautious in what we’re offering in that we don’t want to over stretch the skills and resource that we have,’ John tells me. ‘We’re operating comfortably within our portfolio of knowledge and authority. Whether individuals have sought treatment in the UK previously or are currently receiving it elsewhere on the Island, the Crowther Clinic simply provides a convenient alternative. Choosing our services directly benefits the future of palliative and end of life care for the whole community through reinvested funds, and we hope this will be a significant draw.’

That’s the Crowther Clinic’s USP. If you pay to use the service, you’re essentially making a charitable donation because your money will go directly to sustaining Hospice services. It’s an example of Hospice Isle of Man trying something new to help in the raising of the £5.3 million of annual charitable funding they need to raise from the community. That’s in addition to their £1.7 million Government Grant, to keep the organisation operating fully.

‘We know that 80p of every pound received from both Government and the community, directly reaches patient care. So, this will be a contribution into our total income generation pot, simply to fend off having to curtail any of the services. It may be a bit of a cliche, but creating the Crowther Clinic is part of a journey to ensure we don’t have to close any services down because we can independently fund it ourselves.’

It’s not only Hospice that the new clinic benefits though, it taps into an increasing demand for private healthcare.

‘I believe the wide concerns about Manx Care’s funding and its ability to provide all services are prompting people to reconsider where they seek their healthcare solutions, and so it is only sensible for us to make the most of opportunities and avenues that open up and utilise the resources and expertise that we have. What we have here at Hospice is an incredible resource and it’s unthinkable to let parts of it go underutilised. If we can expand on our charitable work to benefit the community whilst also protecting ourselves for the future then to me it’s to everyone’s advantage.’

In terms of the actual operating of the Crowther Clinic, there’s a real priority to not overstretch staff, ensuring that quality care is distributed across all areas and there is no impact on patients.

‘Let’s take Dr Needham, for example, if Dr Needham is in to administer pain relief in the Crowther Clinic, she is not on duty in the hospice. Doctors will either be working in the hospice wholly, or they’re on a shift working in the clinic wholly. Improved operational efficiency has allowed us to create a schedule that provides sufficient staffing across both Hospice and the Crowther Clinic.’

Though the new clinic is a step forward in innovative financial solutions, John wanted to take the opportunity to reassure people that the service will not impact hospice care. Besides, the whole point is that the Crowther Clinic is a source of protection for Hospice.

‘I do understand that people in the healthcare sector, GPs, and others may look at this with a certain competitive eye, and the public could be concerned about the impact on hospice care. And my response is, from the public’s point of view, that this is simply another way of ensuring palliative and end of life care is provided forevermore, for as long as possible on the Isle of Man. It’s an example of an organisation responding to the financial challenges that are there. And from the general practitioner’s point of view, we’re simply entering into the same market they are already acting in.’

It’s an admirable new step taken by Hospice. One that challenges the status quo that charities operate in a certain way. It requires courage and has been inspired by a constant fight to make sure Manx residents’ access to free palliative and end of life care will always be protected.

‘I’m really proud of us, as an organisation, for being proactive,’ John tells me earnestly. ‘I know it may cause ripples, but I hope people would rather see the positive in it rather than us saying we can’t afford to do X service next year. And rather than us just grumbling that, oh, we need more money from government and it’s not fair and we’re underfunded, we’re making the choice to get off our backsides and do something about it.’

Bookings are already being taken for the Crowther Clinic with treatments starting from Thursday, 12th June. If you’d like to find out more, check out availability, or book an appointment, head on over to crowtherclinic.im.