A total of 2,479 referrals have been removed from consultant led first waiting lists to date.

That is according to a recent written response from health and social care minister Lawrie Hooper.

In the response, Mr Hooper said: ‘Manx Care are currently carrying out waiting list validation under the Restoration & Recovery (R&R) programme.

‘Validation is being undertaken on all referrals for first consultant led outpatient services, on a rolling basis where the patient has been waiting for 18 weeks or more.’

THREE PART PROCESS

He said that process consists of three parts: technical validation, administrative validation and clinical validation.

Examples of technical validation include where there are duplicate referrals or patients who have been seen but not discharged on the system.

These kinds of removals from the waiting list are undertaken by the Waiting List Validation Team.

Technical Validation has been completed for 17,243 patients, of which 959 referrals have been removed.

Mr Hooper added: ‘Patients whose entries on the waiting list are not removed through Technical validation are written to, asking if they wish to remain on the waiting list.

‘After a minimum period of two weeks, attempts are made to contact them by telephone on at least two separate occasions.

‘There is also a telephone number and mailbox they can use for queries, which is detailed in the validation letter that is sent to them.

‘Patients requesting to leave the waiting list are asked to confirm this in writing. Patients asking to remain on the waiting list will undergo Clinical validation.’

He said that 8,836 patients have been contacted by letter as part of the Administrative Validation process.

Of the thousands contacted by post, a total of 842 patients have asked to be removed from the waiting list.

Mr Hooper added: ‘Patients wishing to remain on the waiting list following Administrative validation will then be validated by a clinician against clinical criteria.

‘This involves rechecking the referral’s clinical need and priority, and any further supporting clinical information.’

There are 2,127 patients who have been reviewed as part of the Clinical Validation process of which 678 patients following clinical validation.

Mr Hooper said that anyone that believes that they have been removed from the waiting list in error should get in touch.

To contact the Waiting List Validation Team for any further information, email [email protected] or call MCAL’s on 642642.