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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-31 | Manx care prescription | All information sent |
| 2023-01-24 | Cost of wasted Covid PPE | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-01-17 | Costing for Agency and bank work | All information sent |
| 2023-01-11 | Dental Waiting Lists | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-01-03 | Vascular dementia | All information sent |
| 2022-12-16 | Cost and production of leaflets | Not upheld |
| 2022-12-15 | Number of doctors and registered patients at GP surgeries | All information sent |
| 2022-12-09 | Transformation Team | Information not held |
| 2022-12-06 | Adolescent Mental Health Medication | All information sent |
| 2022-12-06 | MRI Scans | All information sent |
| 2022-12-02 | Data Protection breaches by Manx Care | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-11-23 | Children's Speech & Language Therapy | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-11-21 | UK Nurses | All information sent |
| 2022-11-14 | Internet cameras | Information not held |
| 2022-11-09 | Covid | Information not held |
| 2022-11-08 | Deaths per month 2016-2022Oct | Information not held |
| 2022-11-08 | Baby deaths 2016-2022 Oct | All information sent |
| 2022-11-03 | Cardiology wait list | All information sent |
| 2022-11-01 | Covid data and wastewater testing | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-10-25 | Ramsey pharmacies | Not upheld |
| 2022-10-25 | 2016-2022 liver conditions diagnosis | All information sent |
| 2022-10-24 | Cost of Manx Care | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-10-21 | Lloyds St Paul's | All information sent |
| 2022-10-20 | Heart conditions diagnosed 2016-2022 | All information sent |
| 2022-10-11 | Patients receiving Ustekinumab | All information sent |
| 2022-10-04 | Social work for children with disabilities | All information sent |
| 2022-10-03 | Complaints report to 31st March 2022 | All information sent |
| 2022-10-03 | Provision of Childrens Speech & Language Therapy | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-09-27 | Updated Cost of Covid lateral flow testing | All information sent |
| The requester asked for updated figures on the cost and volume of free lateral flow tests issued to Isle of Man residents between July 2021 and August 2022. Manx Care disclosed the total number of tests distributed, unit purchase costs, delivery and distribution expenses, and the overall total cost to the taxpayer. | ||
| 2022-09-23 | Pharmacy closures | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-09-15 | NHS dental patients ejected from dental practices | Information not held |
| A request was made for statistics on NHS dental patients ejected from practices over the past five years, including reasons and specific locations. Manx Care responded that the information is not held because there is no formal registration process for patient removals and practices are not required to report them. | ||
| 2022-09-15 | Complaints made about NHS Dental practices | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought the number and nature of complaints against NHS dental practices on the Isle of Man over the last five years. Manx Care disclosed anonymized data for 2017 through 2021, detailing complaint counts per practice and specific reasons, though some information was withheld under exemptions. | ||
| 2022-09-15 | Ramsey Group Practise Inspections | Withdrawn |
| 2022-09-13 | Sudden Adult Death Syndrome | Information not held |
| A request was made for the number of deaths from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome over the last five years, split by month. Manx Care refused the request stating they do not hold this information as cause of death is determined via death certificates held by the Civil Registry. | ||
| 2022-09-13 | Fall Boosters for covid and seasonal flu | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought details on COVID-19 and flu booster vaccine distribution, dosages, and scheduling for various age groups in the Isle of Man as of September 2022. Manx Care disclosed vaccination statistics and booking numbers but cited Section 20 of the Act to withhold specific vaccine types and dates, directing the requester to their public website instead. | ||
| 2022-08-02 | Triage Nurse wait time | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the average wait time to see a Triage Nurse at Noble's Hospital A&E on January 11, 2022. Manx Care confirmed that the average wait time for that specific date was 30 minutes. | ||
| 2022-07-28 | Air Ambulance | Information not held |
| A request was made for the charity number, policies, annual reports, and spending details of the Isle of Man Air Ambulance. Manx Care responded that the information is not held because the Air Ambulance is not a registered charity but a unit of Noble's Hospital, with donations administered by separate hospital trusts. | ||
| 2022-07-27 | Vedolizumab and Ustekinumab drugs | All information sent |
| A request was made to Manx Care for the specific number of patients receiving Vedolizumab and Ustekinumab drugs in the Isle of Man. The authority disclosed that between January and July 2022, 26 patients were associated with Ustekinumab and 6 patients received Vedolizumab treatment. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2022-07-14 | Vedolizumab infusions | All information sent |
| A request was made to Manx Care for the number of patients receiving Vedolizumab infusions at Noble's Hospital. The authority disclosed that six patients received the treatment between January 1st and July 31st, 2022. | ||
| 2022-07-06 | cost of Covid Vaccines | All information sent |
| The requester asked for details on the contract, annual charges, and disposal statistics for UK-supplied Covid vaccines in the Isle of Man. Manx Care confirmed the vaccines are supplied free of charge under a memorandum of agreement between crown dependencies and disclosed that 327 vials were disposed of since February 2022 due to reduced demand. | ||
| 2022-07-04 | Information Commissioner actions against Manx Care | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for monthly counts of decision notices, enforcement notices, and financial penalties issued to Manx Care by the Information Commissioner in 2021 and 2022. Manx Care refused to provide the data for notices as it is publicly available online, and stated they hold no information on financial penalties because none have been issued. | ||
| 2022-06-27 | Triage Nurse wait time 11th January 2021 | All information sent |
| A request was made to Manx Care for the average wait time to see a Triage Nurse at Noble's Accident and Emergency Department on January 11, 2021. The authority confirmed that the average wait time for that specific date was 9 minutes. | ||
| 2022-06-24 | Available hospital beds | All information sent |
| The requester asked for hospital bed availability at Noble's Hospital for specific wards and units between May 20 and May 28, 2022. Manx Care responded by providing daily bed counts for the requested areas, noting that the data reflects the evening declaration at 20:00 rather than midnight. | ||
| 2022-06-15 | Report | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request was made for a report on whistleblowing and staff matters written by an individual, but Manx Care refused to provide it because they do not hold the information. | ||
| 2022-06-15 | All cause mortality | Information not held |
| A request was made to Manx Care for all-cause mortality data split monthly from January 2016 to the present. The authority refused the request stating they do not hold the information and directed the requester to the Cabinet Office for published mortality reports. | ||
| 2022-06-09 | Still births | All information sent |
| A request was made to Manx Care for monthly stillbirth statistics from January 2017 to June 2022, and the authority provided the complete dataset as requested. | ||
| 2022-05-23 | Statistics on Deaths by suicide | Information not held |
| A journalist requested statistics on registered deaths by suicide in the Isle of Man since 2019, but Manx Care refused the request stating they do not hold the information. | ||
| 2022-05-17 | Tinnitus | Not required to fulfill request |
| The requester asked for monthly tinnitus case statistics for the last five years, but Manx Care was not required to fulfill the request and instead provided a general informational leaflet about tinnitus from the British Tinnitus Association. | ||