Manx Care
82 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 291.5%
The Freedom of Information requests to Manx Care reveal an authority grappling with the dual pressures of pandemic-era scrutiny and systemic data limitations. A dominant theme is the reliance on the 'information not held' exemption, particularly regarding mortality data. In over a dozen cases (e.g., 1812503, 1994741, 2210085), Manx Care consistently refused to provide death statistics or cause-of-death breakdowns, stating they do not hold death certificates and directing requesters to the General Registry. This creates a significant blind spot in public understanding of health outcomes, as the authority holds admission and treatment data but claims no access to the final mortality records. Similarly, requests regarding the scientific specifics of the pandemic response (virus isolation, PCR thresholds) were met with clarifications that Manx Care does not perform these advanced procedures, effectively outsourcing the scientific narrative to UK laboratories while refusing to generate new data on adverse events.
Key Cases
Case 1786213 — Highlights a significant transparency gap where Manx Care refused to provide advertising authorizations, invoices, and payments under a 'practical refusal' exemption, despite disclosing the budget. This suggests potential opacity in how public funds are authorized and spent on marketing.
Case 2175541 — Reveals the massive financial reliance on agency and bank workers, providing a clear picture of the cost of staffing shortages. The inability to differentiate between nurses and HCAs due to shared finance codes also exposes weaknesses in the authority's financial tracking systems.
Case 2371715 — Directly addresses patient safety and accountability by disclosing 'Duty of Candour' incidents. The revelation of 20 incidents, including one escalated to a formal complaint, provides concrete evidence of systemic failures and the authority's response to them.
Case 1873690 — A pivotal case in the pandemic narrative where Manx Care explicitly stated they do not perform virus isolation procedures. This clarifies the scope of their laboratory capabilities and counters claims that they are hiding evidence of virus isolation, while simultaneously admitting they do not hold the data requested by skeptics.
Case 2082778 — Clarifies the financial relationship with the UK government regarding vaccines. By confirming the Isle of Man paid nothing for the vaccines themselves (provided free by the UK), it shifts the focus of public spending inquiries to administration and distribution costs rather than procurement.
Related FOI Stories
The 'Not Held' Defense on Mortality and Death Data — #1812503, #1812501, #1941281, #1988313, #1994741
Virology, PCR Protocols, and Vaccine Skepticism — #1845993, #1861725, #1873689, #1873690, #1880753
Financial Transparency and Spending — #1786213, #1799406, #1820933, #1943113, #2007297
Hospital Performance, Waiting Lists, and Staffing — #1782317, #1821533, #1838029, #1931457, #1940485
Data Compilation and System Limitations — #1786213, #1812503, #1820933, #1915369, #1919333
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-16 | Breast cancer statistics | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-02-09 | Paxlovid | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-01-24 | Cost of wasted Covid PPE | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-01-11 | Dental Waiting Lists | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-11-23 | Children's Speech & Language Therapy | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-11-01 | Covid data and wastewater testing | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-10-03 | Provision of Childrens Speech & Language Therapy | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-09-23 | Pharmacy closures | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-07-19 | Breast Cancer Health Records | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for personal breast cancer health records from October 2015 onwards, but the authority responded that not all information was held and instead provided a 49-page Manx Care KPI report covering theatre and surgical performance from April to September 2021. | ||
| 2022-07-18 | Pit Stop Cafe at Manannan Court | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for details on the Pit Stop Cafe at Manannan Court received partial disclosure, including operating hours, visiting times, and financial figures, while customer demographic data was withheld as it was not held. | ||
| 2022-05-03 | Covid 19 Vaccination - children | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for specific vaccination uptake numbers for children on the Isle of Man up to April 6, 2022, but the authority provided a general medical chapter on SARS-CoV-2 instead of the requested statistics. | ||
| 2022-05-03 | Covid Testing | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked about genomic sequencing practices and variant percentages for SARS-CoV-2 in the Isle of Man. Manx Care confirmed they are not currently sequencing all PCR tests due to UKHSA prioritization and refused to provide variant percentages because no such data is held. | ||
| 2022-04-26 | PCR test protocol for babies in neonatal | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought details on COVID-19 testing protocols, consent procedures, staff training, and benefit-harm analyses for babies in Manx Care neonatal units. Manx Care provided the testing protocol and details on consent and training but confirmed that no benefit vs harm analysis exists. | ||
| 2022-03-24 | Lateral Flow Tests. | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked about spending on Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) and limits on test kit requests, including potential retrospective charges. Manx Care disclosed the total cost of LFTs but refused to provide specific details on request limits or stockpiling charges, citing that the information was not held. | ||
| 2022-03-17 | Cost of Remdesivir | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the cost of Remdesivir prescriptions between November 2020 and December 2021. Manx Care disclosed that there were no direct charges for the drug during this period but could not isolate internal costs for dispensing and administration. | ||
| 2022-03-15 | Staff absences due to mental ill health | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for annual staff absence days due to mental ill health among front-line health workers from 2019 to 2022 was partially fulfilled, with data provided for 2019-2021 but 2022 figures withheld due to system issues. | ||
| 2021-12-09 | 2138709 Covid & Still births after the DNA altering mrna gene threapy | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked Manx Care for statistics on stillbirths, deaths under anesthesia, ICU deaths, and immunocompromised patients, alongside questions about mRNA clinical trials. Manx Care provided stillbirth and miscarriage data for 2017-2021 but refused requests for earlier years and specific mortality/clinical trial data citing that the information was not held. | ||
| 2021-12-07 | 2131314 Heart Attacks/problems 2015-2021 | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for monthly totals of all cardiac events on the Isle of Man from 2015 to 2021, including community cases. Manx Care disclosed monthly discharge episode data with 'Cardiac Event' as the primary diagnosis for Noble's and Ramsey hospitals but withheld community data due to lack of collation and excessive compilation costs. | ||
| 2021-12-07 | 2132846 Organ failures 2015-2021 | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for monthly organ failure statistics from 2015-2021 cross-referenced with COVID-19 status and specific medications, but Manx Care only provided annual admission totals by organ type for Nobles Hospital, stating they could not derive the requested medication links. | ||
| 2021-12-01 | Cancer rates | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for cancer admission, diagnosis, and breast clinic scan data was partially fulfilled by Manx Care, which provided revised admission figures and scan counts but refused to provide total diagnosis numbers as the data was not held. | ||
| 2021-11-29 | Covid related | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2021-11-26 | Remdesivir and hospital codes add-on payment | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for updated Remdesivir usage statistics and details on add-on payments for specific hospital codes. Manx Care provided a usage table but confirmed they do not receive add-on payments for Remdesivir or other specific codes. | ||
| 2021-11-17 | FOI - Ambulance Service | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made regarding the usage, mileage, and policies of Isle of Man Ambulance Service (IMAS) vehicles, specifically questioning personal use. Manx Care disclosed that there are 10 communal vehicles with zero personal mileage claims, but stated they do not hold a specific policy document for vehicle retention during on-call duties. | ||
| 2021-11-01 | CAMHS Waiting list times and standards | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for CAMHS waiting list statistics and an audit report against Royal College of Psychiatrists standards. Manx Care disclosed a draft audit report from November 2021 but did not provide specific waiting list numbers or reasons for delays in the provided text. | ||
| 2021-10-13 | Operations | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the number of operations cancelled since April 1, 2021, and specifically how many were due to staff shortages. Manx Care provided a breakdown of cancellations by various recorded reasons but stated they do not record 'staff shortages' as a specific category, though they acknowledged ongoing staff issues in a separate public statement. | ||
| 2021-10-08 | Pharmacy closures | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for pharmacy contracts, a three-year list of closures, and details on fines; Manx Care disclosed closure data from October 2020 to November 2021 but refused the contract copy and fine details, citing that penalties do not exist and creating a three-year list would require deriving new information. | ||
| 2021-08-30 | Remdesivir prescription levels | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2021-08-09 | Differentiation of variants | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked Manx Care for details on SARS-CoV-2 variant differentiation processes and non-PCR virus isolates. Manx Care refused to provide the information, stating they do not hold the requested data and do not perform virus isolation. | ||
| 2021-06-22 | Covid and PCR | Some information sent but not all held |
| Manx Care provided hospitalization and death statistics for influenza and pneumonia from 2010 to 2021, along with PCR CT level information, but refused requests for specific death certificate data and virus genome sequencing as they do not hold this information. | ||
| 2021-06-10 | Brain Haemorrhage Data | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for detailed statistics on brain haemorrhage and aneurysm admissions at Noble's Hospital over five years, including demographics, transfers to the Walton Centre, and mortality rates. Manx Care provided total admission numbers for 2016-2020 but refused requests for demographic breakdowns, population ratios, and Walton Centre data, citing that the information was not held. | ||
| 2021-05-10 | ManxCare is an unaccountable quango | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for all advertising expenditure records (authorisations, budgets, invoices, payments) for Manx Care from January 1, 2021. Manx Care disclosed the 2021-22 advertising budget and specific expenditure for April 2021 but refused to provide copies of authorisations, invoices, and payments citing a practical refusal under Section 11(3)(a) of the Act. | ||
| 2021-05-06 | cortisol tests | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for monthly cortisol test statistics from 2015 to 2020 and details on testing policy development. Manx Care provided the requested test data but stated they do not hold a local policy, instead following UK advice. | ||