Bed capacity at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital reduced by 30 percent

Manx Care says its demand on the inpatient rehabilitation services has reduced

The number of beds at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital is being reduced by 30 percent.

Manx Care says moving more of its inpatient rehabilitation into the community has resulted in a reduced occupancy and a reconfiguration of the Martin Ward.

As a result, the number of beds will be reduced from 31 to 20.

The healthcare provider says clinical evidence shows for people with frailty and complex needs, being in hospital is not conducive to recovery and rehabilitation, so is trying to focus more of its efforts in providing care at home.

It says various schemes since its inception in 2021 have led to a reduction in demand for long-term care thanks to effective residential rehabilitation, an increase in timely discharges and home-based recovery and a reduction in hospital admissions from nursing homes by 65%.

The changes to Martin Ward will facilitate two Nurses to go on rotation to the Frailty Unit at Noble’s, to build up experience on management of acute frailty, which will benefit them and their colleagues in the longer-term. 

Manx Care says there will be no redundancies due to this reduction in bed numbers.

Additionally, two Social Workers from the Hospital Social Work Team are now embedded as part of the multidisciplinary team on Martin Ward, helping to reduce length of stay by initiating the process of discharge much earlier for patients who need care upon discharge.

Tim O'Neill is the Interim Chief Officer of the Department of Health and Social Care, and insists there are currently no plans to close the facility:

Oliver Radford, Interim Executive Director of Partnerships, Performance and Improvement, says: "This redesign is about getting people back to their lives faster and with less dependency – not about cutting services, but improving them in the right setting.

"We’d like to thank all partners and staff involved in this work, and will continue to engage with stakeholders, including MHKs, unions, and community organisations, to ensure transparency and shared ownership of this important change."