MHKs have expressed concerns that a temporary reduction to elective care and a pause in non-urgent procedures off-island will only delay Manx Care spending and not save money.

On Tuesday, the Health and Social Care Minister Claire Christian fielded questions from House of Keys members on the controversial decision to cut frontline services in a bid to reduce Manx Care’s overspend.

The arms-length organisation confirmed last week that it was implementing a series of further cost-saving measures as it battles to contain a forecast £15m overspend this financial year.

Those measures include putting a stop to all non-urgent elective surgery carried out off-island for the next two months.

Planned cuts to on-island surgery have also been withdrawn with procedures and appointments reinstated.

Ms Christian was due to answer Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher’s question on the proposed cuts last week but was absent due to illness.

She told the House this week she was only made aware of an embargoed Manx Care press release outlining the cost-cutting measures after it had already been sent to media outlets.

But once she saw what was planned, she intervened in a bid to reduce the number of cost-saving measures.

Douglas Central MHK Ann Corlett questioned whether pausing the appointments and surgeries was only delaying spending by eight weeks and not saving money.

Ms Christian said: ‘The impact of the proposal is that there are 60 non-urgent surgical procedures which will be rescheduled as soon as possible after March 31.

‘She is correct the cost of these procedures will go into the next financial year.

‘There are also around 600 patients that have been affected by these changes over the next two months but 450 of these patients (around 75%) are follow-up appointments with no specific clinical benefit. Those 450 have been validated by the clinicians whether they are needed for clinical benefit.

‘The remaining 25% will be rescheduled for as soon as possible after March 31.’

Joney Faragher MHK (Isle of Man Newspapers)

A deal was thrashed out between her department, Manx Care and Treasury to release funds from an underspend in other areas and the department’s contingency fund to reduce the number of on-island operations, appointments and investigations set to be paused.

However, she has backed plans to put on hold non-urgent appointments and operations in Liverpool and Manchester until the end March. Only those being treated for cancer or who need urgent clinical intervention are exempt.

Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse asked how much extra funding the Treasury had provided.

Ms Christian said: ‘The additional approved spending was £800,000 and the original cost of the off-island care was estimated to be £1m.’

Ms Faragher asked the minister if all avenues to save money have now been exhausted and would that mean further cuts be announced in the future.

Ms Christian said: ‘We believe that reshaping the way appointments are delivered is a good basis for reform by having more oversight and control than that delivered off-island that is good for patients but also helps reduce the cost.’

But she said the budget for the next financial year had not yet been approved and work to deliver the mandate is still ongoing.

Ms Faragher then asked the minister if she was aware of just how ‘scary’ this has been for people with health issues and how ‘let down’ people are feeling by the health service.

Ms Christian said: ‘I absolutely do acknowledge that this has affected members of the public which is why we did intervene to maintain on-island elective care which is really essential.’

Meanwhile, Tynwald’s Public Accounts Committee has launched an inquiry into the recently announced cuts to health services.

The committee will be taking evidence this week from the board of Manx Care, Health Minister Claire Christian and the head of her department.