Manx Care has announced that it has significantly reduced waiting lists in two specialty areas, those of cataracts and endoscopy.

It comes as part of the healthcare body’s efforts to restore elective procedures in the wake of the pandemic, as these had been suspended during it to allow the hospital to be safely staffed amidst pressures caused by covid.

Around 150 cataract procedures were carried out in March by provider Synaptik, in the Private Patient Unit at the hospital.

This follows the delivery of 350 pre-assessment appointments, with further procedures for eligible patients to be scheduled in due course.

By the end of February, Manx Care had cleared its endoscopy waiting list, made possible by a drive to carry out procedures on weekends using surplus theatre capacity.

Between November 2021 and the end of February 2022, more than 450 patients were seen by the team at the hospital.

In addition, virtual telemedicine consultations (which are done remotely) being provided to patients across seven clinical specialisms – cardiology, ENT (ear, nose and throat), gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, pain management, orthopaedics and routine dermatology referrals – through medefer are now underway.

And Manx Care announced a working partnership with local mental health charity MCH Psychological Services – the charity behind Minds Matter and Isle Listen – to deliver psychological therapies for children, young people and adults.

Lastly, Manx Care said that work is ‘at a detailed planning stage’ in restarting the delivery of elective orthopaedic activity at the hospital, with further details that will be released once plans have been finalised.

The statement explained further: ‘It’s important to clarify that the work being carried out within the ‘Restoration and Recovery of Elective Activity’ programme will not replace the current activity that is being delivered by Manx Care.

‘Instead, this will supplement the existing activity being performed by its staff, increasing its capacity to see and treat patients and thus work to reduce waiting lists more quickly.

‘Utilising the support of third-party providers is an approach being used across the UK NHS in order to reduce already lengthy waiting lists which have been further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief executive officer Teresa Cope said that in addition to the progress being made in cataracts and endoscopy, telemedicine assessments were being rolled out across a further seven key specialties, and across some psychological therapies where ‘demonstrable progress’ should be seen in these areas too.

She added that the feedback received from patients who had undergone the cataract or endoscopy procedures had been ‘exceptional’.