Manx Care drafts in UK medics to help support TT effort

Paramedics expecting to respond to 54 calls for help a day

Paramedics are expecting to respond to 54 calls a day during the TT fortnight.

The Isle of Man Ambulance Service is forecasting 752 appeals for help in total.

Last year emergency services staff responded to 710 – it meant 2022 was the busiest year it had ever had.

Will Bellamy is the head of the service and says there are plans in place if they need to access people trapped by closed roads:

Six paramedics, and one operations manager, from the Welsh Ambulance Service will be drafted in over the fortnight to support Manx Care staff.

Three senior critical care paramedics from the Great North Air Ambulance Service will also join the effort to help the most seriously ill or injured patients.

The Emergency Department at Noble’s Hospital will also benefit from increased staffing with additional radiology support due to the expected demand for urgent diagnostic assessment.

Extra blood products have also been ordered in case emergency blood transfusions are required.

Aintree Hospital will provide support for people who suffer severe and multiple injuries and need to be transferred off-Island urgently.

This will be arranged via the fixed wing air ambulance or by the team from GNAAS who can fly people directly to the UK, without stopping at Noble’s Hospital, if required.

Oliver Radford, Manx Care's Director of Operations said: "As an organisation we’ve reviewed our response to last year’s TT – our first as Manx Care – and looked at what are the most important services we need to increase staffing in due to the increased demand we know we’ll see, or where we need to protect our services in order to maintain the delivery of these, for example time-critical surgery.

"We have been planning our response to TT 2023 since autumn last year, including our work with our tertiary providers in the UK, and I hope Manx residents and visitors to our Island will feel reassured that we will be there for them in the event they need us."

Manx Care is reminding all visitors to the Island to make sure they have adequate health insurance in place to cover the duration of their trip – you can find out more HERE.