Free Healthcare on the Isle of Man

When relocating to the Island, new residents should register with a General Practitioner in the area where they live. There are 14 GP practices across the Island with an average of 1,900 patients per GP.

Patients from the UK who are temporarily residents here, on holiday or working for a period less than 3 months, are able to register with a GP. Temporary residents from the EU or further afield may be charged for seeing the GP. The Manx Emergency Doctor Service (MEDS) provides back-up service when the GP practices are closed.

Hospitals & Acute Healthcare

Acute healthcare is provided at Noble's Hospital just outside the capital Douglas. It is a modern well-equipped facility which offers comfort, dignity and privacy. When necessary, patients are referred to commissioned specialist centres in the North West of England, as well as care in community settings such as GP services, nursing, dental care, and mental health services.

The ambulance and paramedic services provide free pre-hospital emergency care and transport for the population of the Isle of Man.

Department of Health and Social Care

The Department of Health and Social Care redesigned on 1 April 2021 as a direct result of Sir Jonathan Michael’s Independent Review of the Isle of Manx Health and Care System. The redesigned DHSC ensures the separation between the setting of policy and strategy and the delivery of services by Manx Care.

Manx Care

Manx Care is now responsible for the delivery of health and social care services including:

• COVID-19  Vaccination Certificates
• Manx Care Advice and Liaison Service (MCALS)
• Primary Care Services
• Patient Transfers
• Podiatry
  Please visit Manx Care for further information.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies and dispensing chemists are available across the Island, with at least one outlet in each town and village. They are routinely open between 9am -5:30pm with a duty rota for each geographical area during evenings and weekends. A nominal dispensing fee is charged for prescription medicines, drugs and appliances. No prescription charge is payable for contraceptives. To view pharmacies and chemists near you, enter your address or postal code in the map here. 

Dentistry

General Dental Services offer check-ups and all necessary treatments. Charges are normally payable although some groups, including children under 16, are exempt. There are also a number of private dental clinics across the Island where residents can register and pay for treatment. The majority of these practices run private insurance payment plans.

Travelling off-Island

The Isle of Man has a reciprocal health agreement with the UK but no other countries. The reciprocal health agreement provides free emergency healthcare when visiting the UK and for visitors to the Island. Residents are encouraged to have adequate travel insurance to cover healthcare costs and medical repatriation when travelling off island, including to the UK.

The European Health Insurance Card does not apply in the Isle of Man as it is not part of the European Union or European Economic Area.

Private Healthcare

There are a number of private healthcare centres on the Isle of Man and many options for residents to choose private services over NHS.

At Noble's Hospital, there is a Private Patient Unit which has been purpose built to offer a comfortable and peaceful environment to a high standard.

Manx Care Advice and Liaison Service (MCALS)

Every day, hundreds of people access health and social care services across the Isle of Man either directly as a patient or service user, or indirectly as a relative or carer. They may have had a positive experience and want to share this feedback with Manx Care, but equally they may have concerns or queries, or feel that there are things the organisation could be doing better.

Similarly, members of the community may require advice and support from some of the professionals working within the Island's health and social care service, but aren't sure where to start looking for information or accessing what they need.

This is where the Manx Care Advice and Liaison Service (MCALS) comes in.

MCALS is a confidential service operated by Manx Care that's dedicated to driving positive change across the health and social care system by listening to feedback and acting on it. The service aims to improve patient and service user experiences by helping to sort problems out quickly, providing advice and pointing people in the right direction to get the help they need.

You can contact MCALS on 01624 642642 or mcals@gov.im