Health chiefs have unveiled a radical shake-up of services that aims to improve care and cut costs.

It will bring a new lease of life to the under-used Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital to bridge the gap between care provided in hospital and people’s homes.

Chemotherapy services are to be relocated back in the main hospital, and a medical ward will close, freeing up nursing and healthcare staff to fill vacancies elsewhere, and saving £480,000 in bank and agency staff costs.

But in another move, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced it is ending its £150,000-a-year contract with Age Concern to provide the Meals on Wheels service.

Under the shake-up, Ramsey Cottage Hospital will become an intermediate care facility from February next year. Investment will see an additional 10 beds, bringing the total to 31, which will be available to patients from all over the island.

Instead of being admitted to Noble’s, older people with medical problems will be able to ’step-up’ from home to the new unit, helping reduce admissions to the hospital, 999 calls and A&E attendance.

It will also help tackle the problem of ’bed-blocking’, as patients in Noble’s will be able to ’step-down’ to the new unit as their condition improves. Currently, an average of 20 patients at any one time are medically fit to be discharged from Noble’s but become ’stranded’ as there is a lack of facilities to provide ongoing care.

The new approach means that GPs from Ramsey Group Practice will no longer provide in-patient care at the Cottage Hospital. Their normal GP duties are unaffected. The fees previously paid to them for the in-patient service will fund a consultant to lead the service and the recruitment of a second specialist doctor, making the move cost-neutral.

Health and Social Care Minister Kate Beecroft said: ’It’s good news. The Cottage Hospital has absolutely been under-used. We’ve got to make the best use of everything we have. It will reassure the people in the north that we don’t have any intention of closing it.’

At Noble’s, the chemotherapy service will relocate from its temporary home in the former ward 20, which is close to but separate from the main hospital, into ward 5, which is currently a general medical ward.

Care staff from ward 5 will be redistributed to other wards, effectively filling the current 13 nursing and healthcare assistance vacancies, potentially saving £480,000 by cutting the need to cover these with bank and agency staff.

There will be a surplus of nine who can transfer to Ramsey to support the 10 extra beds, with staff given the opportunity to request relocation.

Relocation of the chemotherapy service comes at the same time as Noble’s has received a generous legacy of £215,000 specifically earmarked for cancer equipment.

The DHSC said it had taken the ’difficult decision’ to withdraw funding from the Meals on Wheels service. Age Concern has operated the service since 2008. Deliveries are made five days a week and meals are chilled for reheating.

meal

Customers are charged £3.50 for a meal, £2.25 of which goes to the government’s catering service which supplies the meals for Age Concern to collect from the kitchens at Noble’s.

Health chiefs say there are options for meals to be delivered by alternative providers should Age Concern stop providing the service after January 12 next year when the DHSC pulls the plug on the £150,000 funding.

Some 300 customers have been contacted by the department and assured they will be provided support if they need it.

Mrs Beecroft added: ’The situation is not ideal but there are a number of providers of home-delivered ready meals operating in the island. The public has choice and different pricing options available.

’It is regrettable. At a time of significant financial pressure, we have a duty to make every penny count.’