Latest news with #JulieEdge
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Isle of Man breast cancer clinic under 'enormous pressure'
Ongoing staffing issues at the Isle of Man's breast cancer clinic are putting the service under "enormous pressure", an MHK has Care said an emergency sickness absence had left the clinic without a radiologist last a full-time role has now been filled, Health and Social Care Minister Claire Christian said that person would not start work for three the House of Keys, Onchan member Julie Edge said the "pressure that is on the team is enormous". Christian said: "Manx Care has been without a substantive post since June 2024."On top of that, one of the breast radiologists is unfortunately off sick for four weeks, so that has obviously affected services."The health minister said locum staff had been meeting demand. 'Quite isolated' Herself a patient, Edge asked what would happen if the existing radiologist did not return to work in a month's replied that the department was looking into employing a second full-time breast radiologist for future service "continuity".In the meantime, she said the clinic were looking for agency staff to bridge the gap. Thirty patients have been affected by the latest disruption to said they had been waiting for an average of 29 days to be diagnosed, beyond the 28-day said there was "a significant shortage of available breast radiologists within the UK, and we're quite isolated on the island".This makes it "even harder for us to recruit someone", she added. 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.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Proposed Manx school meal review changes 'under consideration'
Proposed changes to school meals on the Isle of Man "remain under consideration", the education department has 2023 School Meals Review, which confirmed £2,522,000 was spent on the service annually, has been heavily redacted in line with Freedom of Information exemptions bu the government said it was ""shaping the future of the service". Any changes had "not yet been finalised as government policy" but "relevant developments" would be shared "as they progress", a department spokesman said key areas of focus would be a reduction in the use of ultra-processed food and using more local produce. Former minister for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, Julie Edge committed to the assessment in July 2023, following a question in Tynwald by the current minister Daphne document, originally drafted for internal use, looked at the current operating model, free school meals and the associated costs and the menus on confirmed primary schools could serve up to an average of 3,500 dinners per day, while up to 1,450 secondary school students could be catered to a list of 24 recommended improvements to the service, considerations of a new model and the details of potential alternatives, and a suggested five-year plan have been removed from the publicly available version of the document. 'Health and learning' Following the publication of the report, a DESC spokesman said the insights were being "actively used... to shape the future of the school meals service".As outlined in its current department plan, key areas of focus would be a reduction in the use of ultra-processed food - which typically contains additives such as sweeteners, using more local produce, reducing food waste and conducting surveys on meal choices, he a statement, the spokesman said the department "was committed to ensuring school meals support children's health and learning while maintaining financial sustainability". Updates would be provided "where appropriate" as further decisions were made on future improvements and operating models, he added. 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.
BBC News
12-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Debate on Isle of Man state pension changes separated from budget
Politicians have agreed to have "a proper debate" about proposed changes to state pensions and the future of the National Insurance Fund. Treasury Minister Alex Allinson had intended to move plans to replace the "triple lock" commitment for those who retired after April 2019 as part of the 2025-26 MHKs backed Julie Edge's call for a "full independent national debate" on the issue separate from the delivery of the annual financial plan in Tynwald next said he would support holding a separate discussion about the plans to introduce a "double lock guarantee" as a way to preserve the National Insurance (NI) Fund. The treasury minister faced criticism from some members, who said he had not followed through with a commitment made in his 2024 budget speech to engage with politicians and the public prior to any changes.A report published in October forecast the island's £1.09bn NI Fund would run out by the 2047-48 financial year. Earlier in the weekly sitting of the House of Keys, Allinson defended the plans to introduce a system that would see pensions rise by either 2% or inflation, arguing it was not discriminatory under the island equality proposals would see the scrapping of the "triple lock", which currently ensures increases based on the higher of UK CPI inflation, average earnings, or 2.5%, for anyone who retired after 5 April 2025 and qualifies for the Manx state pension. 'Unacceptable and deeply unfair' But during a House of Keys debate that lasted more than an hour, Onchan MHK Edge said the policy could "put UK state pensioners living on our island in a better position than Manx-born pensioners who have lived and worked here all their lives"."That is both unacceptable and deeply unfair and I refuse to allow this proposal to be buried in the small print of the budget," she said."A separate motion is the only way to ensure proper scrutiny and debate."Glenfaba and Peel member Kate Lord-Brennan agreed a debate was needed, and argued that the Treasury moving ahead without wider scrutiny was a "flagrant disregard for Tynwald and the residents of the Isle of Man".She said the original plan to have the changes debated and voted on as part of the budget was "bizarre" and not how major policy should be treasury minister told members he would ask for the proposals to be listed as a separate motion for debate and approval at the February sitting of TynwaldHowever a bid by Lord-Brennan to have that pensions debate pushed back to a later sitting was narrowly voted down by MHKs. 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.
