The Infrastructure Minister has revealed regular pest control inspections stopped in 2015 amid issues which have disrupted Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital (RDCH).
Dr Michelle Haywood says the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) carried out monthly inspections at the island’s hospital sites but these stopped in 2015 due to ‘privacy and access concerns’.
Services normally offered at RDCH have temporarily relocated as work takes place to deal with an ongoing pest control issue and are not scheduled to return until the end of April 2026.
Some services have remained at RDCH’s newly refurbished Martin Ward, which was the first part of the hospital to close in October to deal with the pest control issue, while others have been moved to Noble’s.
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Dr Haywood was responding to a written Tynwald question from Onchan MHK Julie Edge who asked the minister: ‘In each of the last five years for RDCH and the Nobles estate how many pest control inspections were carried out, who was responsible for these, what remedial actions were taken and if she will publish any certificates of inspection.’
Dr Haywood said: ‘There is no regulatory requirement for the department to carry out periodic pest control inspections within the wider areas of either Nobles Hospital or Ramsey Cottage Hospital.
‘However, in order to comply with the Isle of Man Food Hygiene (Amendments) Regulations 1990 and the Manx Care Policy on Pest Control, the Department does employ a pest control specialist, Vespula Limited, to undertake six-weekly inspections of the main kitchen areas on both sites.
‘Up until approximately 2015, the Department undertook 12 periodic monthly inspections of the general hospital areas, however, these ceased due to a combination of privacy and access concerns.
‘Leaving baited vermin boxes down was also deemed an unacceptable method of controlling pests due to the environmental impacts to the food chain via secondary poisoning.’
Due to the issues at RDCH, Dr Haywood says inspections have stepped up significantly.
She said: ‘In light of the recent increase in pest activity reports at RDCH, Vespula Limited have attended the site on 39 separate occasions since May 2025, in order to undertake pest inspections which have consisted of setting cameras, bait and traps.
‘Generally, it is the building users’ and site operators’ responsibility to report any sightings of pests and the department will respond accordingly, taking a proactive approach and working with Manx Care and Vespula Limited to address these.
‘Remedial actions usually consist of a combination of the application of rodenticide and insecticide where applicable.’
Dr Haywood also provided tables giving a breakdown of pest issues reported across both Ramsey District Cottage Hospital (RDCH) and Nobles Hospital sites over the previous five years and can include pests such as ants, insects, wasps, bees, flies, rodents and birds.
There were six cases reported in 2021 and this more than tripled to 22 in 2025. Nobles has fared better, with a significant reduction in reports of pests in 2025, with 25 in total compared to 43 the previous year and 45 in 2023.
The pest control issues follow confirmation from Health Minister Claire Christian last autumn that the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at Ramsey Cottage Hospital will remain closed at weekends for the foreseeable future due to staffing issues.