Manx Care has insisted that patient safety, quality and access to care will not be compromised by new spending controls aimed at tackling its forecast £19.2m overspend.

The arms-length healthcare provider said the measures were designed to control spending and not implement ‘blanket reductions in services’.

The measures include freezing recruitment where it is considered safe to do so, tightening restrictions on overtime and agency staffing, and reviewing contracts, purchasing and ongoing projects.

In its response, Manx Care stressed that essential and patient-facing positions would continue to be considered, with decisions taking account of the impact on safe care and service delivery.

The organisation said: ‘No change will be implemented where it would create an unacceptable risk to patient safety, quality or access to care.’

Staff have been told that overtime must be approved in advance and considered essential.

Requests for additional shifts will be assessed against patient needs and safe staffing requirements, while agency bookings will be reviewed weekly to reduce the need for costly last-minute cover.

The email also said weekly reviews of waiting times and staffing levels would help determine where agency cover was required.

Other areas facing scrutiny include training, purchasing, contracts and ongoing projects.

Mandatory, statutory and essential clinical training will continue, but other training, discretionary travel, furniture, hospitality and consultancy costs will be reviewed.

Manx Care also intends to identify unused software and products for cancellation, review major contracts for better value and consider pausing non-essential projects.

The organisation has emphasised that the spending controls do not automatically authorise changes to services.

Any proposed changes must undergo existing assessments covering patient safety, quality, staffing and operational risks before being approved.

In a separate communication, staff were also told of changes to bank shifts, with the length of available shifts being reduced.

Previously, some early bank shifts ran from 7.30am until 3.30pm, while late shifts ran from 1pm until 9pm.

The revised arrangements are understood to shorten early shifts by one and a half hours and late shifts by one hour.

In a statement issued earlier this week, Manx Care described the figure as a prudent forecast based on pressures facing health and care services, including potential winter demand and some costs relating to previous financial years.

It also said the forecast did not include a £10m contingency provision which had not yet been drawn down.

Dr Stockport said there was still a significant financial challenge and the organisation could not ‘take our foot off the pedal’.

He added: ‘We have to get the finances under control while continuing to provide safe care and improve access to services.

‘We expect the measures already introduced to reduce the forecast deficit over the remainder of the year.’