Call for review of Isle of Man patient Liverpool hotel allowance
Christian said she also believed that "no barriers to accessing essential NHS services had occurred" as a result of the charge.Manx patients, some of who are allowed to take a companion, travelling to Liverpool for care that cannot be provided on the island currently receive £50 per person per night via the patient transfer scheme.They are treated in institutions such as the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
The newly-introduced charge was voted for by members of the city's Accommodation Business Improvement District in a ballot.Maltby said it was unfair that Manx patients, already under stress, should have to field the supplement and it had been an "unintended consequence" of the change.She said those receiving treatment and their companions should not have to "pick up the tab" and called for an exemption "to ensure people aren't being penalised".
'Difficult time'
Carole Male, who runs the Isle of Man Patient Transfer Facebook page and is vice president of the Mannin Cancers charity, said the charge should not be allowed to affect our patients, and it it did "then the allowance should surely be raised to cover it". She said the current offer "often does not cover their costs", which could leave "patients in a very difficult position at an extremely difficult time".In a response a written question by Maltby on the matter, the health minister also confirmed an assessment of accommodation allowances paid to patients for stays in the UK is to be reviewed by the Department of Health and Social Care.The results are set to be published in July 2026.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
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