Health Minister Kate Beecroft says infection control will be at the forefront of consideration in the planned move of the chemotherapy ward back into the main Noble’s Hospital building.

Dr Alex Allinson asked for assurances in Tynwald on Tuesday, following the announcement of the move, as part of a radical shake-up in health services aimed at improving efficiency at the cash-strapped Department of Health and Social Care.

The chemotherapy service is to relocate from it current home in the former ward 20, which is in a building close to - but not part of - the main hospital in Braddan. It will move into ward five, currently a general medical ward in the hospital, while staff from that ward will be moved elsewhere in the hospital.

Dr Allinson asked what consideration had been given to the implications on infection control of the move back into the main hospital.

Mrs Beecroft said the move of chemotherapy services, which had previously been in the main building, into ward 20 had always been intended as temporary.

’The infection prevention and control team has been invited by Noble’s Hospital management to be part of the team that will manage the transfer of chemotherapy service back from ward 20 to ward five, which is planned to take place early in 2018,’ she added.

The consultant microbiologist and his team would be involved to ensure the new location was ’suitable for chemotherapy treatments, in terms of isolation facilities, hygiene requirements, treatment areas, consultation bays, the medicine preparation area, the waiting room and the cleaning standards’.

Dr Allinson asked if any other locations were considered before ward five was selected for the new location.

Mrs Beecroft said: ’I am not aware of all the different areas that were discussed or considered.

’I am only aware of the recommendation that everybody agreed was the best thing to do.’