Independent Medical Services

Independent Medical Services (IMS) is a private practice in Douglas, Isle of Man and we provide a number of services to local companies and individuals:

• Occupational Health Services
• Disability Assessment Medical Examinations
• Health Checks and Screening
• Sports and Vocational Medical Examinations
• Individual consultations
• Medicolegal Examinations and Reports
• ENG1 Seafarer Medical Examinations for the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency

ANTIBODY TESTING

We can carry out Covid-19 antibody tests. These require a venous blood sample which will be taken at our premises by one of our medical staff. The sample is sent to Nationwide Pathology, an excellent accredited laboratory in the UK, and the results will normally be available in 48 - 72 hours. The fee is £55

There is now a new antibody test that can differentialte between antibodies derived from vaccination and those derived from natural infection - this test is £78.

ANTIGEN TESTING (SWAB TEST)

We can carry out Covid antigen testing for active Covid infection screening. This involves swabbing the throat and nose and the results will be available within 24 hours of the lab receiving the samples. The swabs are taken by qualified nurses. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT OFFER PCR TESTS FOR PEOPLE WITH ACTIVE INFECTION (but please see below).

We use a laboratory in the UK, Nationwide Pathology, which is a UK NHS approved Covid-19 laboratory and which uses gold standard Public Health England approved RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) technology to analyse the samples.

The fee is £61. If you require the test in order to travel to countries requiring a negative test or you are using a carrier that requires a negative test, it will help us to meet your needs if you can ascertain the exact requirements of the carrier or the country that you are visiting before you contact us to make an appointment for the test.

Because the UK postal service is currently running slowly we recommend that you send the sample via guaranteed next day delivery which means that you will need to take the sample to a post office after you have had the swab taken. We will provide the postage bags for this and you will then need to take the sample to a post office to arrange the next day delivery.

We prefer to send out the results by email.

COVID RECOVERY LETTERS

If you require a letter from a physician confirming Covid infection and recovery then we can provide this. You will require a 15 minute appointment and you should bring you passport and a copy of the Isle of Man Government's Direction Notice that was sent to you after a positive PCR test or reporting of a positive Lateral Flow Test. The fee is £40.

Now that 111 aren't carrying out PCR tests on people symptomatic of Covid or to back up a positive lateral flow test there will be a problem for people wishing to obtain a Covid recovery certificate because in order to obtain the certificate you have to show documentary evidence of a positive test. We will therefore see people with active Covid infection/positive lateral flow tests outddoors at our premises to carry out a witnessed lateral flow test, following which we can provide documentary evidence of the positive test as well as a recovery certificate 10 days later. You will need to bring your own lateral flow test and the fee for this service is £45.

Our staff are:

Pamela Kermode RN and Ruth Phillips RN who help with our medicals, carry out workplace health checks and carry out our vaccinations.

Lynne McBryan and Gabrielle Drinkwater carry out all of our administrative and secretarial tasks.

We have comfortable and spacious consulting rooms at street level at 10 Hawarden Avenue in Douglas on the corner of Hawarden Avenue and Selborne Road. There is ample parking in the surrounding streets but the area is a Disk Zone and so you will need to display a parking disk. (We can supply you with one if necessary.) We have ramps to allow wheel chair access.