Department of Health and Social Care
12 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 1483.3%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-28 | Correspondence regarding cuts | Not upheld |
| The request sought correspondence between Manx Care and the Department of Health and Social Care regarding service cuts from October 2024 onwards. The response disclosed an email exchange between the Minister and the Chief Officer discussing an urgent statement about 'more cuts' being reported in the public domain. | ||
| 2023-05-04 | PHE delay/'Toning down' of DHSC Medical Director clinical advice | Not upheld |
| 2023-03-08 | Documents on instructions to advocates for 2nd court appeal | Not upheld |
| 2023-02-24 | Ranson Appeals | Not upheld |
| 2020-10-08 | Key Workers | Not upheld |
| The requester asked for copies of entry certificates issued to key workers under coronavirus regulations, but the Information Commissioner's Office did not uphold the complaint regarding the Department's response. | ||
| 2020-07-15 | THE MEDICAL ADVICE AND ACTION ON THE BORDERS | Not upheld |
| The requester sought specific dates and documents regarding medical advice that led to the Isle of Man's border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Health and Social Care refused to disclose the information, citing exemptions related to the formulation of government policy. | ||
| 2019-09-16 | History of falls in shops | Not upheld |
| A request was made for details of falls in shops since October 2011, including dates, locations, and injury types. The Department of Health and Social Care refused the request, stating they do not hold the information in an accessible manner. | ||
| 2017-09-08 | abortions that have legally taken place on the Isle of Man | Not upheld |
| A request for the total number of legal abortions on the Isle of Man since October 2011 was initially refused by mistake, but an internal review overruled the decision and disclosed the figure. | ||
| 2017-04-06 | Records retention and destruction FOI | Not upheld |
| A request was made to the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care for details on records retention policies, destruction statistics, and senior management contacts. The authority disclosed the name of the senior records manager, provided multiple retention policies, and released aggregate destruction figures for 2014-2016, though full copies of destruction certificates were withheld. | ||
| 2017-03-07 | Salisbury Street | Not upheld |
| The request sought details on the tendering process for a care home on Salisbury Street, including the number of interested parties and contract terms. The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed the timeline and participant numbers but withheld specific financial contract terms citing commercial sensitivity. | ||
| 2017-02-23 | Number of Staff - DHSC, Noble's, 0-Hours, | Not upheld |
| A Freedom of Information request to the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care sought staff numbers for the department, Noble's Hospital, and zero-hours contracts, as well as data on qualified nursing staff. The authority disclosed total staff figures and zero-hours contract details but refused to provide specific numbers for qualified nursing staff due to data limitations. | ||
| 2017-02-09 | Residential Support Workers | Not upheld |
| The Department of Health and Social Care responded to a request for staff turnover data regarding Senior Residential Support Workers and Residential Support Workers in Adult Learning Disabilities Services between 2012 and 2017. The authority disclosed total turnover figures, current staff numbers, and a detailed breakdown of reasons for leaving, including resignations, retirements, and internal transfers. | ||