A REVIEW of off-island patient referrals is being carried out as figures were released showing the cost of treating patients in England has risen again - increasing to more than £10.3 million.
Figures released in a written reply to a House of Keys question from Kate Beecroft (Lib Van, Douglas South) show that the total costs of treating patients across was £10,319,706 in 2011-12 and the total cost of travel was £2,416,741.
Expenditure on UK trusts with which contracts had been negotiated totalled £9.64 million compared with a figure of £8.95 million for the final year 2010-11.
Health Minister David Anderson said a review has been launched to see if savings could be made in this area but stressed that the initial decision to refer a patient for treatment in the UK was a clinical one.
He said the cost was increasing year on year, but added: ‘We did budget for an increase in this area and will not need a supplementary vote – we have made savings in other areas of the health service.’
In his written reply, the Minister explained that Noble’s Hospital has negotiated contract with the a number of UK hospitals, mainly in the North West of England. Some patients are referred to other non-contracted hospitals for various highly specialised services.
Of the £9,641,822 spent on services with contracted trusts, the largest sums were for treatment at Alder Hey (£1,222,822), Clatterbridge (£1,211,000), Liverpool Heart and Chest (£2,340,000) and Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen (£1,656,000). A further £677,884 was spent on non-contracted services.
The total number of emergency and non-emergency patients transferred to the UK in 2011-12 was 8,127.
There were 7,732 patient journeys during the year and 4,737 funded escorts.
Costs of patient and escort travel for 2011-12 – including scheduled air, sea, rail, taxi and contributions towards accommodation and mileage – was £1,887,012.
There were 395 patients transferred during the year by Air Ambulance. A total of 351 nurse and doctor escorts accompanied these Air Ambulance patients. Most patients had one nurse escort, some two and others three each, depending on clinical need. Total cost of Air Ambulance transfers during 2011-12 was £529,729 including nurse and doctor escorts.
Unforeseen extra costs of off-island patient care has in the past forced the Department of Health to seek supplementary votes in Tynwald.
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