Department of Health and Social Care
11 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 1618.2%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-09 | Recording of DHSC meeting with Braddan Commissioners | Upheld - partial |
| The requester sought a recording of a May 2024 meeting between the Department of Health and Social Care and Braddan Commissioners regarding access to the Nobles Hospital estate. The response disclosed the meeting's attendees, a detailed summary of the discussion on vehicular access and land sales, and the conflicting positions of both parties, though the recording itself was not provided. | ||
| 2024-04-24 | Road | Upheld - partial |
| The request sought correspondence and meeting records regarding access to the Braddan Roundhouse via the Nobles Hospital site between October 2021 and the request date. The response was partially upheld, disclosing letters and emails confirming Manx Care's opposition to permanent access due to traffic risks, particularly during TT periods. | ||
| 2024-03-12 | Expol's investigation into Abbotswood *REDACTED* | Upheld - partial |
| The requester sought the full Expol investigation report regarding a 2020 Covid outbreak at Abbotswood, but the Department of Health and Social Care failed to respond within statutory timeframes and applied exemptions incorrectly. | ||
| 2023-07-25 | Minister Hooper and his Twitter account | Upheld - partial |
| 2023-05-26 | CQC hospital reports 2023 | Upheld - partial |
| 2023-02-14 | Yellowcard data for covid19 vaccine side effects | Upheld - partial |
| 2021-12-06 | Mrs K Malone Dir of Governance &Legislation &Dep CEO: Qualifications | Upheld - partial |
| A request for the qualifications, salary, and appointment details of Mrs Karen Malone, Deputy CEO of the Department of Health and Social Care, was partially upheld. Personal data was withheld under absolute exemption, while recruitment process details were refused on the grounds that the Department does not hold them. | ||
| 2021-12-06 | Mrs Kathryn Magson, Interim CEO DHSC, relevant experience etc | Upheld - partial |
| A request was made for personal details, salary, and employment history regarding Mrs Kathryn Magson, Interim CEO of the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care. The authority refused to disclose the information, citing an absolute exemption for personal data under Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015. | ||
| 2021-03-15 | Adverse Event Reporting Isle of Man | Upheld - partial |
| 2020-09-02 | Vitamin D and Covid-19 Test Results | Upheld - partial |
| The applicant requested vitamin D test results for 2018-2020 and data linking vitamin D levels to COVID-19 outcomes. The Department of Health and Social Care initially refused both requests citing excessive work but partially upheld the request for historical vitamin D data during an internal review, while maintaining the refusal for COVID-19 linked data. | ||
| 2017-05-23 | Orthodontic needs assessment | Upheld - partial |
| The requester asked for an orthodontic needs assessment and tender application form, but the Department of Health and Social Care refused to disclose them citing commercial interests. | ||