Transport for Appointments within the Isle of Man
Bus Vannin now provides the service for persons requiring transport to or from a healthcare facility on the Island, and Bus Vannin has assumed responsibility for taking bookings for this service.
This service may only be booked if authorised by the Department. Patients should ask a health care professional (i.e. a Doctor or Nurse involved in their care) to make the booking if this service is required.
Patient Transfers to the UK
With the development of new, specialised techniques in the treatment of cancer, burns, transplants and many other fields, the number of patients being referred to UK hospitals has grown considerably in recent years.
Manx Care has arrangements with hospitals in the UK to provide specialised treatments that are not available here on the Island. These hospitals are predominantly within the North West of England and agreements are in place to treat Manx patients when referred by Noble's Hospital Consultants. If such a referral is made, patients will need to travel to the UK. The Patient Transfer Team books air/sea travel in these cases and provides advice to patients about their journey. Please see the section “Travel and Accommodation Costs for Patients and Escorts Visiting the UK” below for information about the criteria for funded escorts and rates of assistance.
Contact details and opening times
Email: patient.transfers@gov.im
Address: Patient Transfer Office, Crookall House, Demesne Road, Douglas, IM1 3QA
Telephone Numbers
For transport to or from an appointment in the UK
Telephone: +44 01624 642673
(Open 9am to 5pm Mon to Fri [excluding Public Holidays]. Closed for lunch 1 to 2pm. If you require urgent assistance outside of the normal Patient Transfer operating hours, please contact the Air Ambulance Service Co-ordinator on +44 01624 650000)
For transport to or from an appointment on the Isle of Man, Phone Patient information centre on +44 01624 650103
(Open 8.30am to 4.30pm Mon to Fri [excluding Public Holidays]. Closed for lunch 12 to 1pm)
Occasionally, a consultant may authorise a family member or friend to accompany the patient, in which case the Patient Transfer Office will fund that additional person's travel. We can only book these persons through the Patient Transfer Office if we have received a Transport Certificate completed by an authorised member of staff (normally a consultant at Noble's Hospital) and an escort is recommended for funding on that certificate.
More detailed information can be found on the Patient transfer dedicated web page click here for Patient Transfers
Travel and Accommodation Costs for Patients and Escorts Visiting the UK
Copy of an expenses claim form
Travel between home and the airport/sea terminal
Patients visiting the UK are expected to make their own travel arrangements between home and the airport or sea terminal. However, the NHS (Expenses in Attending Hospitals) Regulations 2004 do provide discretion for us to fund transport in a limited number of cases. A person meeting the criteria for assistance may apply for the on-Island component of their travel. We will only fund the lowest cost method of transport reasonable for the journey, and this will normally be provided by Bus Vannin. Only in exceptional cases would we consider paying for other means of transport such as a taxi or your car parking fees at the airport. Please enquire about options when booking your trip if you are eligible for funded on-Island transport and there is a medical or other reason that you cannot use the Bus Vannin service.
Travel between the Isle of Man and the UK
Manx Care currently has agreements with Loganair for flights and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for sea travel between the Isle of Man and the UK. The Patient Transfer Office will book air or sea travel with one of these carriers for journeys between the IOM and the UK for patients and escorts authorised by Manx Care to travel to the UK. We may only fund a journey starting and finishing in the Isle of Man and which is necessary for the patient to receive their care in the UK.
For example, if a patient has an outpatient appointment in Liverpool then they will normally be booked on a day return on the day of the appointment and this will only be changed on the basis of medical need. We cannot book or alter journey times to accommodate other activities that the patient or escort may wish to undertake whilst in the UK. Also, we cannot book or fund travel or other costs for a patient travelling from elsewhere (e.g. returning from holiday) to attend an appointment, or for escorts or visitors travelling from anywhere other than the Isle of Man. In these cases, patients and escorts will need to book and fund their own travel and accommodation.