The Isle of Man Memory Service has retained full national accreditation following an independent external review, with assessors praising patient care while identifying areas for further development.

The service, which assesses, diagnoses and supports people with suspected dementia and other memory-related conditions, was most recently assessed in June 2025 through the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme (MSNAP), an independent peer-review scheme run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Responding to a written Tynwald question from Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse, Health and Social Care Minister Claire Christian said the review awarded the service full accreditation, confirming it met recognised standards for clinical care, service delivery and patient experience.

The Minister said the assessment also provided opportunities for benchmarking the service against national standards and identifying areas for continuous improvement.

MSNAP accreditation is carried out every three years, with the next formal review scheduled for June 2028.

‘Until June 2028, the service will continue to monitor performance and pursue ongoing quality improvement in line with national standards and best practice,’ Ms Christian said.

‘In the report, patients and carers fed back positively about staff and how they were treated by them. They were described as kind, caring, thoughtful and responsive.’

Assessors described the team as ‘tight-knit, passionate and dynamic’, with strong peer supervision arrangements, and recognised the way staff adapt to the challenges of providing specialist dementia services on a small island.

The review also identified several areas for further development.

Ms Christian added: ‘These included formalising support for staff health and wellbeing, building on the positive team culture already in place, and making greater use of opportunities for patients and carers to participate in research, including online or remote opportunities where these are available.

‘The service was also encouraged to strengthen its approach to accessibility and inclusion, particularly in relation to marginalised communities and people with different protected characteristics, and to consider how referral and case-note information could help identify any gaps in access or engagement.’