Manx Care
483 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 49.5%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-02-22 | Community Houses for people with a Learning Disability | All information sent |
| 2024-02-20 | Overnight Air Ambulance Transports | All information sent |
| 2024-02-13 | Births | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2024-02-13 | Decisions relating to changes to job ref: MCX-017844 | All information sent |
| 2024-02-09 | Vaccine payments | All information sent |
| 2024-02-09 | yellow card - increasing awareness | All information sent |
| The requester asked Manx Care for communications detailing how the authority addressed public awareness of the 'Yellow Card' injury reporting system following a 2022 Tynwald session. Manx Care responded by releasing all requested information, confirming that copies of the relevant communications were attached to the response. | ||
| 2024-02-08 | Vaccine injury codes | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2024-02-06 | testosterone | All information sent |
| 2024-02-06 | Staff sickness | All information sent |
| 2024-02-06 | Camhs waiting list | All information sent |
| 2024-01-29 | More detailed information about waiting times | All information sent |
| 2024-01-16 | South Drive, Noble's Hospital | All information sent |
| The requester asked for maintenance budgets, road safety responsibilities, and inspection reports for South Drive at Noble's Hospital, specifically regarding tree clearance and adherence to road standards. Manx Care disclosed that the road is unadopted, budget data cannot be broken down by specific road, and no tree surveys have occurred since October 2023, while clarifying that national road standards do not apply to the site. | ||
| 2024-01-05 | Rules relating to private medical consultations | All information sent |
| 2024-01-04 | MEDS overnight closure | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the Policy Impact Assessment and Business Case regarding MEDS overnight closures; Manx Care provided the Business Case but refused the Assessment citing it was not held. | ||
| 2024-01-01 | Covid vaccine numbers update request | All information sent |
| 2023-12-18 | Respite Allocation Toolkit & Decision Making | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought details on the review of the respite allocation framework, criteria for service reductions, and impact assessments for disabled children between October 2022 and 2023. Manx Care responded by providing a September 2023 referral toolkit and scoring matrix for respite services, though the outcome was noted as partially exempt. | ||
| 2023-12-06 | Ambulance Response Times on 2 December 2023 | All information sent |
| 2023-11-21 | Assisted Dying - impact and risk assessment | Information not held |
| 2023-11-15 | Availability of ambulances to respond to emergency calls | Information not held |
| 2023-10-17 | People, Culture and Engagement strategy consultation | All information sent |
| 2023-10-16 | Staffing Levels - Number of employees, posts held and sickness abscenc | All information sent |
| A request was made to Manx Care for detailed staffing statistics, vacancy rates, and sickness absence data regarding social work roles in Adult and Children's services between 2021 and 2023. The authority confirmed that all requested information was sent to the applicant on August 22, 2024. | ||
| 2023-10-04 | Unclaimed Manx Residents in U.K. | Information not held |
| 2023-10-02 | Yellow card data, who reviewed it | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for correspondence and governance details regarding Yellow Card data for COVID-19 vaccines in the Isle of Man, but Manx Care disclosed that they do not hold this data as it is submitted directly to the UK's MHRA. | ||
| 2023-10-02 | Cardiology referals | Information not held |
| 2023-09-13 | Number of patients receiving and prescribed Ustekinumab | All information sent |
| 2023-09-05 | Carers Assesments | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-09-05 | Hospital waiting lists | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-08-25 | Outsourcing or privatisation | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-08-25 | Hospital meals | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-08-24 | Cost of IOM Juvenile Secure Unit. | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-08-22 | Closure of Cummal Mooar | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made for details regarding the decommissioning of Cummal Mooar, including meeting attendees, decision-makers, and mitigation measures. Manx Care provided excerpts for some questions but withheld information on attendees and decision-makers due to data protection exemptions and stated they could not locate records for mitigation measures and PSC notification. | ||
| 2023-08-17 | Current waiting times | All information sent |
| 2023-08-16 | Ambulance call outs | All information sent |
| 2023-08-16 | Cancer rates 2017 -2023 July | All information sent |
| 2023-08-03 | Manx Care Complaints Costs | Information not held |
| 2023-08-02 | Regent dental care contract | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-08-01 | Cummal Mooar | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-07-31 | Children & Families Department | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-07-25 | Cardioversions carried out in Uk. | All information sent |
| 2023-07-18 | Orthopaedic waiting times | All information sent |
| 2023-07-18 | Termination service | All information sent |
| 2023-07-11 | COVID reporting | All information sent |
| 2023-07-10 | Cost of Covid-19 vaccinations | All information sent |
| 2023-07-10 | Vaccination board moved to Manx Care- request for minutes | Upheld - partial |
| The requester sought the new name, Terms of Reference, minutes, and evidence for the vaccination board transferred to Manx Care. The authority disclosed the Terms of Reference for the 'Immunisation Committee' and minutes from an initial meeting in October 2022, resulting in a partial upholding of the request. | ||
| 2023-07-07 | Absence rate of Manx Care staff | All information sent |
| 2023-07-06 | GP registrations | All information sent |
| 2023-07-06 | Synaptik | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-07-06 | Shingles | All information sent |
| 2023-06-28 | Patients receiving Uztekinimab | All information sent |
| 2023-06-20 | Maternity Surgery | All information sent |