Department of Health and Social Care
178 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 100.0%
The Freedom of Information requests reveal a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) under intense scrutiny regarding workforce stability, procurement transparency, and clinical performance. A dominant narrative is the struggle to manage staffing levels, evidenced by repeated requests on bank staff costs, zero-hours contracts, and the 'MARS' redundancy scheme. The authority has been largely transparent about the *existence* of these issues—disclosing relocation packages for nurses and the financial cost of redundancies—but often cites 'excessive compilation effort' or 'data limitations' when asked for granular breakdowns of costs or specific staff categories. This suggests a reactive administrative culture where data is held in silos, making comprehensive analysis difficult for the public.
Key Cases
Case 355345 — This case reveals a significant ethical transparency regarding vaccine ingredients. The authority confirmed that specific vaccines use historical cell lines from legal abortions in the 1960s but explicitly stated this information is not currently provided to patients on consent forms, raising questions about informed consent practices.
Case 355291 — A rare and specific disclosure regarding the Isle of Man TT, revealing the exact amounts recovered from private insurance for race-related medical treatments and confirming that no competitors required Intensive Therapy Unit admission in 2017, providing concrete data on the health impact of major sporting events.
Case 355301 — This case highlights a potential conflict of interest involving the Minister (Hon K Beecroft) and her company, Manx Home Care. While transfer statistics were released, the authority admitted it did not hold the specific contract files, suggesting a fragmentation of records or a deliberate separation of procurement data from the health department.
Case 355253 — The request regarding the 2006 Everall Report (a major child welfare inquiry) was refused on the grounds that the DHSC does not hold the implementation data, which was assigned to the Chief Secretary's Office. This points to a systemic lack of accountability tracking for long-term child protection reforms.
Case 361157 — This case quantifies the cost of the Mutual Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS), disclosing the total payout and annual savings. It serves as a concrete financial metric for the department's strategy to reduce staffing costs through voluntary redundancies.
Related FOI Stories
Dental Services and UDA Performance — #355317, #355117, #355319, #355331, #420033
Workforce Crisis: Recruitment, Retention, and MARS — #355311, #355143, #355153, #355357, #355281
Procurement, Contracts, and Ministerial Conflicts of Interest — #355217, #355161, #355247, #355301, #358156
Clinical Services: Endoscopy, Waiting Lists, and Procedures — #355115, #355219, #355223, #355263, #355387
Public Health, Vaccination, and Substance Abuse — #356085, #355133, #355145, #355229, #355333
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-08-31 | Noble's Records | All information sent |
| A request was made for details regarding medical records management, storage locations, and the MediViewer digital system at Noble's Hospital. The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed contact details for records management, confirmed onsite storage of archives, and outlined retention periods, but withheld the disaster recovery plan citing national security and health safety exemptions. | ||
| 2017-08-31 | Pay rises | All information sent |
| The requester asked whether all staff areas within the Department of Health and Social Care received the same 2.2% pay rise. The department disclosed that pay rises varied by staff group, with some receiving 2.2%, others 1%, some 2.5% from a previous year, and some having no agreement reached for the current year. | ||
| 2017-08-24 | Staff employed by the Department of Health and Social Care in media relations, public relations and marketing roles | All information sent |
| The request sought the number of staff and total annual costs for media relations, public relations, and marketing roles within the Department of Health and Social Care for the past five years. The authority disclosed data for the 2012/13 and 2013/14 financial years, noting that costs became nil from April 2014 after roles were transferred to the Cabinet Office. | ||
| 2017-08-17 | travel and hotel costs the Dept has incurred for Consultants and Doctors visiting the island for the last 12 months. | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed the total travel and accommodation costs incurred for visiting consultants and doctors over the 12 months prior to August 2017. The response provided a breakdown of these expenses by division, totaling £28,853.48. | ||
| 2017-08-15 | Endoscopy procedures carried out in Nobles Hospital in the Month of July 2017 | All information sent |
| A request was made for the number of endoscopy procedures performed at Nobles Hospital in July 2017, and the Department of Health and Social Care disclosed the total count along with a breakdown by procedure type. | ||
| 2017-08-05 | tender procedures | All information sent |
| A request was made regarding the tender procedures for cleaning services involving a company registered by Mrs Beecroft. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that Manx Home Care was the successful tenderer, provided the tender receipt date, stated the maximum contract length, and clarified that no FD8 waiver was required as the process was competitive. | ||
| 2017-07-31 | Medical professionals accused of criminal offences. | All information sent |
| The requester asked for policies regarding medical professionals accused of criminal offences, departmental liability, and resolution procedures. The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed all requested information, providing three specific policy documents and links to external professional body codes. | ||
| 2017-07-27 | Methadone and Drug Substitutes | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request was made to the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care for spending data and patient registration numbers regarding methadone and drug substitutes for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017. The authority responded by providing full disclosure of prescribing costs from 2013/14 to 2016/17 and annual patient snapshots for November 2015 and October 2016. | ||
| 2017-07-03 | Endoscopy 1 | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care for data on endoscopy operations at Nobles Hospital, including historical completion rates, current waiting list numbers, and future planned procedures. The authority responded by providing full disclosure of weekly statistics for the previous 12 weeks, the total number of patients waiting, and a schedule of booked and available slots for the upcoming 12 weeks. | ||
| 2017-07-03 | Metal Hip Replacements | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care provided data on the number of metal hip replacements performed on Manx residents for 2015, 2016, and part of 2017. The response clarified that these figures exclude metal-on-metal replacements, which are not performed locally but are followed up for patients who received them in the UK. | ||
| 2017-05-22 | Endoscopy, Sigmodoioscopy and Colonoscopy | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for endoscopy procedure volumes and waiting list statistics for Ramsey District Cottage Hospital and Noble's Hospital between April 2016 and March 2017. The authority disclosed all requested data, providing monthly breakdowns of procedures conducted and the total number of patients waiting. | ||
| 2017-05-16 | Use of latex at Noble's | All information sent |
| A request was made for information regarding the use of latex at Noble's Hospital, including policies on medical equipment and gloves. The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed the full information by providing the 'Policy for the Management of Latex Allergy' and the 'Urethral Catheterisation' policy with highlighted latex references. | ||
| 2017-05-15 | Cost of Health Records Scanning and Cost of doctors using mthl | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the specific costs of scanning health records at Noble's Hospital and the cost of doctors using the MISL system. The Department of Health and Social Care refused to provide specific figures for both questions as the data was not held or could not be found, though they disclosed the total budget for the broader Digital Health Records Programme. | ||
| 2017-05-02 | Nurses pay bands | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for nurse, nursing manager, and student nurse pay grades by providing full salary scales for staff and clarifying that student nurses receive bursaries rather than pay grades. | ||
| 2017-04-26 | Birth costs | All information sent |
| A request for birth statistics and costs on the Isle of Man was partially fulfilled, providing data on home and hospital births from 2014-2016 and referencing UK NHS tariffs for costs, while specific data on elective caesarean requests was withheld due to the practical refusal exemption. | ||
| 2017-04-21 | Radiology Staff | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request was made to the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care regarding the number and grades of staff working in the Radiology Department during the week commencing 17 April 2017. The authority responded by providing a detailed breakdown of staff numbers across various modalities, including general imaging, CT/MRI, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound. | ||
| 2017-04-10 | Orthodontic and Salaried Dental Services | All information sent |
| 2017-04-03 | Nursing sickness and relocation packages | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for data on nursing sickness absence and details of relocation packages for nurses. The authority disclosed specific absence figures and outlined the financial incentives and accommodation support offered to attract staff to the Isle of Man, alongside comparisons with UK and Irish schemes. | ||
| 2017-03-06 | Patient Transfers Taxi Tender | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding the tender process for a patient transfer taxi service from Liverpool airport to hospitals, disclosing all requested documents including tender invitations and correspondence. | ||
| 2017-03-01 | CAMHS - SMT Minutes | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for CAMHS treatment numbers, waiting list data, total demand, and senior management minutes, disclosing most statistics but noting that some waiting list data was not held on a monthly basis. | ||
| 2017-02-28 | Cost to recruit staff | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Health and Social Care for the cost to recruit staff for Adult Learning Disabilities Services. The authority disclosed that the average total cost per individual recruit is £122.58, based on calculations involving advertising, interviewing, and administration. | ||
| 2017-02-11 | Travel costs off Island | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for off-island healthcare costs and patient travel statistics for 2014-2017, providing full financial breakdowns and journey counts by financial year. | ||
| 2017-02-09 | CRC advice/reccommendations Translarna 2016 | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care provided the Clinical Recommendations Committee's 2016 advice regarding the funding of Translarna for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The committee recommended the drug be classified as a low priority due to inadequate evidence for clinical and cost effectiveness. | ||
| 2017-02-01 | Mental Health Act | All information sent |
| A Freedom of Information request to the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care sought data on mental health patient suicides and complaint statistics. The authority disclosed annual suicide figures for patients and inpatients from 2012 to 2016, provided complaint data from 2011 to 2017, and noted that two legal questions were withdrawn by the requester. | ||
| 2017-01-26 | Abortion | All information sent |
| The requester asked for documents provided to the Minister regarding the feasibility of amending the Isle of Man's Abortion legislation. The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed a feasibility report titled 'Termination of Pregnancy (Medical Defences) Act 1995: Feasibility of an Amendment Bill during the 2017/18 legislative session'. | ||
| 2017-01-19 | Request for Numerous Wheelchair Service Policies, Procedures and Processes | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding wheelchair service policies, procedures, and repair processes by providing the full 'Eligibility Criteria and Provision of Wheelchairs and Specialist Seating' policy document. The response detailed specific repair timeframes, contractor information, and liability waiver procedures for decommissioned equipment. | ||
| 2017-01-10 | F1 Forms (Financial Assistance) | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for data on F1 financial assistance forms for dental and glasses, providing statistics on applications and fraud checks while noting that financial audits are held by the Treasury. | ||
| 2017-01-04 | Colonoscopy Waiting List - Nobles | All information sent |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for data on the colonoscopy waiting list, providing the total number of patients, a breakdown by waiting duration, average wait times for different clinical categories, and monthly procedure statistics for the previous six months. | ||