Department of Health and Social Care
271 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 65.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-11 | Request for Number of People Prescribed Ustekinumab under Manx Care | Information not held |
| 2023-08-30 | Learning Disability Strategy 2020 | Information not held |
| 2023-08-29 | Any Proof of Existence of Claimed 'HPV' - Human Papilloma Virus | Information not held |
| 2023-08-29 | Certification of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) as a Proven 'Test' | Information not held |
| 2023-08-29 | All Cause Mortality 2018 to 2023 | Information not held |
| 2023-08-11 | Gas unit price | Information not held |
| 2023-07-27 | Cost of running IOM Secure unit for juveniles. | Information not held |
| 2023-07-11 | Shingles | Information not held |
| 2023-07-07 | Vedoluzimab request | Information not held |
| 2023-07-06 | GP registrations | Information not held |
| 2023-06-26 | Hospital acquired covid infections | Information not held |
| 2023-05-30 | Cancellationof appointments. Cardiology. Non information about the | Information not held |
| 2023-05-16 | Complaints against Family Action | Information not held |
| 2023-04-05 | Air Travel Patient Transfers Easyjet & Loganair Jan to Mar 2023 | Information not held |
| 2023-04-04 | Number of under 65 year old adults in over 65s care homes | Information not held |
| 2023-03-31 | Medical Assurances | Information not held |
| 2023-03-29 | Government funded UK rehabilitation placements | Information not held |
| 2023-03-24 | Adoption and Fostering | Information not held |
| 2023-03-21 | Air Ambulance service / manx care costs | Information not held |
| 2023-03-16 | Medical assurance | Information not held |
| 2023-03-16 | Jcvi | Information not held |
| 2023-03-02 | Request regarding adults with learning disabilities and provision | Information not held |
| 2023-02-28 | Cancer Incidence and Mortality statistics for IOM | Information not held |
| 2023-02-16 | Diabetes Type 2 Statistics | Information not held |
| 2023-02-14 | Waiting Lists | Information not held |
| 2023-02-03 | NICE technology appraisal (TA) medication issued and or prescribed | Information not held |
| 2023-02-02 | Independent Review Body ("IRB") Annual Report 2021-22 | Information not held |
| 2023-01-25 | How many prescriptions issued for specific medication in IOM | Information not held |
| 2023-01-25 | Child Benefit Payments | Information not held |
| 2023-01-11 | Dental Waiting Lists | Information not held |
| 2023-01-04 | Primary School Pupils - BMI Information | Information not held |
| 2023-01-02 | vascular dementia statistics | Information not held |
| 2022-12-20 | Air Ambulance/ GNASS | Information not held |
| 2022-12-13 | Number of Patient Transfers in the since January 1st | Information not held |
| 2022-12-09 | KM&T Reports | Information not held |
| 2022-12-08 | Cost of wasted Covid PPE | Information not held |
| 2022-11-24 | Cost of air ambulance services | Information not held |
| 2022-11-15 | Tecfidera Medication also known as Dimethyl fumarate | Information not held |
| 2022-11-15 | Tenders for janitorial supplies | Information not held |
| 2022-11-10 | Data on children/adolescent mental health | Information not held |
| 2022-11-07 | Policing the COVID-19 Regulations | Information not held |
| 2022-10-03 | Primary Care Service reviews and CQC report Ramsey Group Practise | Information not held |
| The requester asked for Primary Care Service reviews and a CQC report regarding Ramsey Group Practise, but the Department of Health and Social Care stated it does not hold this information. | ||
| 2022-09-27 | how many of the people who died of covid were vaccinated | Information not held |
| The requester asked for the number of vaccinated individuals among those who died of COVID-19 in the Isle of Man. The Department of Health and Social Care refused the request, stating they do not hold the information as it is likely held by Manx Care following a 2021 service redesign. | ||
| 2022-09-05 | DHSC Complaints report 2021/22 | Information not held |
| A request was made for the DHSC health complaints report for the year ended 31 March 2022, but the Department of Health and Social Care responded that the information is not held. | ||
| 2022-08-29 | Cost of legal proceedings | Information not held |
| 2022-08-04 | Cost of Ronaldsway Covid-19 Vaccine Hub | Information not held |
| A request for detailed construction, running, staffing, and removal costs of the Ronaldsway Covid-19 Vaccine Hub was largely refused because the Department of Health and Social Care does not hold the specific data. The authority cited that costs were aggregated across all hubs and could not be derived without creating new information, though it provided estimated figures from a previous request. | ||
| 2022-06-23 | NHS dental patients ejected from dental practices | Information not held |
| The requester asked for a list of NHS dental patients refused services and the reasons for refusal by practice. The Department of Health and Social Care responded that the information is not held by them and is likely held by Manx Care. | ||
| 2022-06-23 | Complaints made about NHS Dental practices | Information not held |
| The requester asked for a list of complaints regarding NHS dental practices, including specific details on pricing and actions taken. The Department of Health and Social Care refused the request, stating they do not hold the information as it is likely held by Manx Care following a 2021 restructuring. | ||
| 2022-06-16 | Lung Cancer Statistics | Information not held |
| A request was made for lung cancer statistics including patient numbers, mortality, and survivability rates, but the Department of Health and Social Care refused to provide the information as it is not held by them. | ||
| 2022-04-19 | Public Health | Information not held |
| The requester asked for data analytics and decision-making grounds regarding the removal of COVID-19 restrictions and the shift to endemic status on the Isle of Man in 2022. The Department of Health and Social Care refused the request, stating they do not hold the information as it may be held by Public Health within the Cabinet Office. | ||