Officials from the West Midlands Quality Review Service (WMQRS) – the body appointed by the Department of Health to undertake an independent external inspection of the Island’s Health Service – are making their first visit to the Island today for an informal meeting with senior managers and clinicians.
The visit follows the announcement of the independent external inspection by the Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, at the July sitting of Tynwald. The visit is the first step in the preparatory work of undertaking a review, with the current plan being to carry out an inspection of critical care services at Noble’s Hospital which will commence this November. The independent external inspection will be a rolling programme of reviews of the entirety of the Island’s Health Service – not just Noble’s Hospital – and is likely to extend between two and three years.
Jane Eminson, Director of the WMQRS, said: “Today’s meeting is a chance for officials from both the WMQRS and the Department of Health to discuss the details and particulars of the review programme. It’s also a chance for senior managers and clinicians from critical care at Noble’s Hospital – the first area that we’ll be reviewing – to be briefed and ask any questions they may have.”
The inspections have three primary aims:
1. To provide an assessment to the Manx public, politicians and the Isle of Man Health Service itself of the quality of care provided to Manx patients.
2. To identify areas where services are in need of improvement, with special reference to any areas in which there is an unacceptable risk to patient and/or staff safety.
3. To comment upon the sustainability, or otherwise, of services currently provided in the Isle of Man.
Member for Health Services, Dudley Butt MLC, said: “It is a delight to be able to welcome the team from the WMQRS to the Island today for their first visit. The Department has been working for some time now to bring about an independent external inspection of the whole of the Island’s Health Service. As we are outside the UK’s NHS and are too small to run our own inspectorate, we are reliant on contracting UK bodies with the breadth and depth of experience such as that offered by the WMQRS. I am confident that, based on their impressive track record, we have found in the WMQRS a respected and reputable body with access to a wide variety of practicing clinicians who can carry out a robust root and branch review of all of our services.”
Pictured left to right: Sarah Broomhead, Quality Manager and Jane Eminson, Acting Director of the WMQRS.
