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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-21 | Nobles beds | Information not held |
| The requester asked for emails from the bed flow manager to ward staff regarding A&E patient transfer delays due to full capacity in the last 28 days. The Department of Health and Social Care responded that no such emails exist because all relevant communications are conducted verbally. | ||
| 2019-02-15 | Emails between the Patient Flow Manager & CEO of DHSC Re: bed availability on 03/02/2019 | Information not held |
| 2019-01-21 | More Information requested for FOI 658665 Question 1 | Information not held |
| The requester asked for the number of inquests held among 238 patient deaths previously identified, but the Department of Health and Social Care refused the request stating they do not hold this specific data. | ||
| 2019-01-10 | Information on the sums of monies paid out in lieu of legal action | Information not held |
| The requester asked for annual financial settlement data for Noble's Hospital between 2012 and 2016 regarding legal actions taken by patients in lieu of court proceedings. The Department of Health and Social Care refused the request, stating the specific information is not held and would require substantial collation to create. | ||
| 2018-12-28 | menopause | Information not held |
| A request was made for monthly statistics on HRT absorption blood tests over the last 3-5 years, but the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed they do not hold this specific data. | ||
| 2018-05-29 | umbilical cords | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Department of Health and Social Care regarding the current policy on umbilical cord clamping times after birth. The authority responded that no specific policy is held and the information is not routinely collected or audited. | ||
| 2018-04-25 | Chemo Unit | Information not held |
| The requester asked for the reasons why the Department of Health and Social Care refused an offer from the Hospice to construct a dedicated chemo unit. The authority responded that no such offer was ever received, meaning no refusal occurred and the information is not held. | ||
| 2018-03-08 | names of the companies who have put in a bid for the tender of Family Placement Service. | Information not held |
| A request was made for the names of companies that bid for the Family Placement Service tender, but the Department of Health and Social Care responded that the information is not held because no Invitation to Tender was issued. | ||
| 2018-02-10 | Staff accessing data | Information not held |
| 2018-02-06 | Woodbourne Road Nursery | Information not held |
| A request was made regarding long-term plans and potential private leasehold takeover for the Woodbourne Road Children's center nursery. The Department of Health and Social Care refused to provide information, stating they do not hold it because the building and business are privately owned and operated. | ||
| 2018-01-26 | Map of the Hospital | Information not held |
| A request was made for a map of Nobles Hospital and its environs showing ownership details, but the Department of Health and Social Care responded that they do not hold this information. | ||
| 2017-10-19 | Southern Group Practice Complaints | Information not held |
| A request was made for the number of complaints regarding Dr J Longan at Southern Group Practice for misdiagnosis or unprofessional conduct. The Department of Health and Social Care responded that they could neither confirm nor deny holding the information due to data protection exemptions concerning third-party personal data. | ||
| 2017-09-08 | prosecutions taken place on the Isle of Man under sections 71 and 72 of the Criminal Code 1872 | Information not held |
| A request was made for prosecution statistics under specific sections of the Criminal Code 1872 and the Infanticide and Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1938, but the Department of Health and Social Care responded that they do not hold this information. | ||
| 2017-08-08 | funding from the department to provide pregnancy advice or counselling services to the public | Information not held |
| The requester asked for details of funding provided by the Department of Health and Social Care to organizations for pregnancy advice or counselling since 2011. The Department responded that it does not hold this information because it does not fund any organization specifically for these services, though such advice is available within existing primary and secondary care services. | ||
| 2017-08-07 | Everall Report 2006 | Information not held |
| The requester asked the Department of Health and Social Care for details on the implementation of the 132 recommendations from the 2006 Everall Report. The department responded that it does not hold this information because responsibility for implementation was assigned to the Chief Secretary's Office. | ||
| 2017-07-28 | IRB 02 | Information not held |
| A request was made for detailed statistics and financial data regarding the Independent Review Body (IRB) from 2011 to 2017, including complaint numbers, expert reports, and settlement costs. The Department of Health and Social Care responded that they do not hold the requested information and suggested contacting the Cabinet Office instead. | ||
| 2017-07-19 | Copy of Safeguarding Children's Board Report | Information not held |
| The applicant requested a copy of an investigation report into the Department of Health and Social Care's Children and Family Services that they believed was presented to Tynwald on 18 July 2017. The Department responded that it does not hold the report as it was not yet presented to Tynwald and cannot be released until after its official publication in October 2017. | ||
| 2017-06-07 | Patient Record for Transgenderism - Ambulance Service | Information not held |
| A request was made for information on how gender is recorded on Ambulance Service Patient Report Forms for a dissertation on transgenderism. The Department of Health and Social Care stated the information was not held and noted the request was invalid under the Freedom of Information Act 2015 because the requester was not an Isle of Man resident. | ||
| 2017-05-23 | Communications with ICO relating to Digital Inclusion Strategy | Information not held |
| A request was made for emails between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Information Commissioner regarding the Digital Inclusion Strategy from May 2016 to May 2017. The authority responded that the information was not held as no such communications occurred during the specified period. | ||
| 2017-04-27 | Orthodontic procurement | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Department of Health and Social Care regarding the announcement date for primary care orthodontic services procurement. The authority refused the request stating they do not hold the information. | ||
| 2017-04-20 | Medical Records Scanning Tender | Information not held |
| A request was made for details regarding the medical records scanning tender, including the outcome, list of bidders, and tender values. The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed that the outcome and bidder list are available online, but withheld the specific tender values citing commercial interests. | ||