Department of Health and Social Care

Overview

Outcome Breakdown

Requests by Year

Top Topics

• Healthcare & Public Health (486 requests)
• Finance & Tax (37 requests)
• Government & Administration (22 requests)
• Transport & Roads (21 requests)
• Employment & Workforce (21 requests)

Notable Cases (206)

[~] NHS Dental Waiting List Allocations & Patient Preferences

2026-01-12 | Some information sent but not all held

The Department of Health and Social Care disclosed NHS dental waiting list sizes and allocation numbers for late 2025 but confirmed it does not hold data regarding patient preferences or audit trails linking preferences to allocations.

• The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold information on patient preferences for dental practices or geographical areas.
• There is no audit trail available to link a patient's stated preference to their eventual allocation.
• Waiting list and allocation data is supplied to the Department by Manx Care via the Integrated Performance Report (IPR).

Data: 1756, 2008, 96, 214, 442

[+] Cost of the independent review of health and social care

2025-11-21 | All information sent

The requester asked for the costs and funding sources of two independent health reviews; the Department disclosed the cost and budget for the MIAA review but exempted the Sir Jonathan Michael report details as they are publicly available elsewhere.

• The cost of the MIAA review was £46,750.
• The MIAA review was funded from the DHSC CEO Office budget.
• Information regarding the Sir Jonathan Michael report was deemed absolutely exempt under Section 20 of the FOI Act 2015.

Data: £46,750, 2025-11-21, 2025-12-24, 5107201, Section 20

Exemptions: Section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information accessible to applicant by other means)

[~] 'Covid' Claims: Isle of Man Prison Jurby Isolation of A Wing Prisoners

2025-06-26 | Information not held

A request was made for details regarding the isolation of six male prisoners at Jurby Prison in June 2025, including specific PCR testing protocols and evidence of contagion. The Department of Health and Social Care refused to provide the information, stating it is not held by them and likely resides with the Department of Home Affairs.

• The request concerns the isolation of six male prisoners in A Wing at Jurby Prison in June 2025.
• The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold the requested information.
• The authority suggests the information may be held by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

Data: 4755085, 2025-06-26, 2025-07-09, June 2025, Six

Exemptions: Section 11(3)a of the Act (Information not held)

[~] amount of children being caused harm by British Hospital

2025-06-24 | Information not held

A request was made for statistics on Manx children treated at UK hospitals and those who suffered harm, specifically medication overdoses, since 2010. The Department of Health and Social Care refused to provide the information, stating it is not held by them and may be held by Manx Care.

• The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold the requested information regarding children sent to Alder Hey or Great Ormond Street Hospitals.
• The information may be held by Manx Care, which is responsible for service delivery following the 2021 redesign of the health system.
• The Freedom of Information Act 2015 applies only to information created on or after 11 October 2011.

Data: January 2010, 24 June 2025, 3 July 2025, 11 October 2011, 1 April 2021

Exemptions: Section 11(3)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information not held)

[~] ADHD Pathway Refusal

2025-05-28 | Information not held

The requester asked why the Department of Health and Social Care blocked the Adult ADHD pathway, but the authority responded that it does not hold specific information on the refusal reasons, citing competing funding priorities.

• Manx Care does not currently have an Adult ADHD Pathway.
• A draft Business Case for the pathway was developed but declined by the DHSC.
• The 2025/26 Mandate prioritized maintaining existing pathways over investing in new ones due to competing funding priorities.

Data: 2024/25, 25/26, 28 May 2025, 23 June 2025, 4692438

Exemptions: Section 11(3)a of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information not held)

[-] Presentations or Briefings from Manx Care to the DHSC

2025-03-31 | Some information sent but part exempt

The request sought presentations and briefings between Manx Care and the DHSC from January to February 2025, resulting in the disclosure of documents detailing the 2025-26 Mandate and Operating Plan, though some information was withheld under exemptions.

• The DHSC and Manx Care held Board to Board Roundtables on 8th and 14th January 2025 to discuss the 2025-26 Operating Plan.
• Key priorities for 2025-26 include fully integrated health services, early intervention, and maintaining spending within a £357m financial envelope.
• Manx Care is tasked with reconfiguring service delivery to drive efficiency, including slowing elective activity and exploring alternative care models.

Data: 1st January 2025, 1st February 2025, 8th January 2025, 14th January 2025, 20th January 2025

[~] Midazolam usage in Abbotswood Nursing home under DHSC control 2020

2025-03-18 | Information not held

A request was made for details regarding midazolam usage at Abbotswood Nursing Home in 2020 while under DHSC control, but the Department of Health and Social Care refused to provide the information.

• The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold the requested information regarding midazolam usage.
• Abbotswood Nursing Home remained a private legal entity even when DHSC representatives were in control.
• Information concerning normal operations at the nursing home was not owned by the Department.

Data: 4521346, 2025-03-18, 2025-04-09, March 2020, April 2020

Exemptions: Section 11(3)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information not held)

[+] Diabetes retinopathy provision

2025-03-12 | All information sent

The request sought progress on diabetic retinal screening implementation and specific spending figures from the Healthcare Transformation Fund, including KPMG costs. The authority provided links to policy documents regarding progress but refused to disclose specific monetary amounts, citing that the data is not held separately from a wider portfolio of work.

• Information on screening progress is available in the DHSC – Manx Care Mandate 2025/26 on page 11.
• The Health and Care Transformation Programme (HCTP) produced a business case for Diabetic Eye Screening in February 2022.
• Specific costs for diabetic retinal screening cannot be isolated as the work was part of a wider portfolio with KPMG.

Data: 2025-03-12, 2025-04-09, 2021, February 2022, April 2022

Exemptions: Section 11(3)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information not held or cannot be found after reasonable steps); Section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information accessible by other means)

[-] MHK Statement

2025-02-25 | Some information sent but part exempt

The request sought communications regarding a Manx Care statement accusing MHK Julie Edge of making incorrect claims about a Code Red incident at Noble's Hospital. The authority released internal emails showing Minister Claire Christian did not authorize the specific comments about Ms Edge, while redacting personal data and conduct-related information.

• Minister Claire Christian explicitly stated she did not authorize the comments regarding Ms Julie Edge.
• The disputed statement accused Ms Edge of making 'sweeping and factually incorrect' assertions during the Budget Debate.
• The incident concerned an apparent Code Red issue at Noble's Hospital over the weekend of 15/16 February 2025.

Data: 19 February 2025, 15/16 February 2025, 18th February 2025, 10 pages, 2 documents

Exemptions: S.25 - Personal Data; S.35(c) - Conduct of Public Business; S.35(a) - Conduct of Public Business

[-] Parentcraft Classes

2025-02-11 | Some information sent but part exempt

The request sought correspondence regarding the decision to move parentcraft classes from face-to-face to an online model. The authority disclosed a parliamentary answer and supplementary information explaining the rationale for the change, though some internal correspondence was withheld under exemptions.

• Parentcraft sessions are transitioning from in-person to video-based to improve accessibility, flexibility, and consistency.
• The online content was launched in early February 2025.
• The decision was not driven by cost savings but by the need for inclusivity and self-paced learning.

Data: 2025-02-11, 2025-03-11, 28 January 2025, September 2024, early February 2025

Exemptions: Part exempt (specific exemption clauses not detailed in the provided text)

[~] Complaints Against Social Workers

2025-02-11 | Information not held

The requester asked for annual complaint statistics against Social Workers since 2015 and detailed categorization of those complaints. The Department of Health and Social Care provided aggregate complaint numbers but stated it does not hold specific categorization data for complaints made before the April 2021 separation of services to Manx Care.

• The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold detailed categorization of complaints made before 01 April 2021.
• Following the separation of policy and service delivery on 01 April 2021, specific complaint data is held by Manx Care.
• The provided complaint figures include issues regarding social care workers, fostering, adoption, and legal claims.

Data: 2015 – 12 complaints, 2016 – 17 complaints, 2017 – 11 complaints, 2018 – 8 complaints, 2019 & 2020 – 35 complaints

[~] DHSC staffing and running costs

2025-02-06 | Some information sent but not all held

The request sought detailed staffing numbers, job titles, payroll costs, running expenses, sick days, contract staff, training costs, and regulatory actions for the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The authority provided a breakdown of job titles and specific payroll costs for 2023/24 and part of 2024/25, but withheld the total staff count citing that the information is reasonably accessible via a public quarterly report.

• Total staff count was withheld under Section 20 of the FOI Act as it is available in the Isle of Man Government quarterly workforce report.
• A detailed list of job titles and staff numbers per category was provided in an attached document.
• The annual payroll cost for 2023/24 was confirmed as £2,376,129.89.

Data: £2,376,129.89, £2,901,330.63, 2023/24, 2024/25, 01 April 2023

Exemptions: Section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information reasonably accessible to the applicant)

[~] Correspondence regarding cuts

2025-01-28 | 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.

• The request was made to the Department of Health and Social Care on 2025-01-28.
• The case outcome was 'Not upheld' on 2025-05-20.
• The disclosed document is an email dated 24 January 2025 between Claire Christian and Paul Richardson.

Data: 2025-01-28, 2025-05-20, 24 January 2025, 31st October 2024, S.25

Exemptions: S.25 - Personal Data

[~] Health Care external quality regulators

2025-01-27 | Some information sent but not all held

The requester asked about compliance with the 2019 Sir Jonathan Michael report regarding external quality regulators for Manx Care, specifically concerning CQC inspections and ratings. The Department of Health and Social Care responded that most information is publicly available online, confirmed that CQC baseline inspections are complete with no further CQC visits planned, and stated that future inspections will not receive formal CQC ratings due to lack of enforcement powers on the Isle of Man.

• The Manx Care Act 2021 requires services to be inspected at least once every five years by independent persons or bodies appointed by the Department.
• The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has completed its commissioned baseline inspections and there are no further arrangements for additional CQC inspections.
• Future inspections of Manx Care will not be formally rated by the CQC because the island's services are not registered with them.

Data: April 2019, 2021/22, 2025-01-27, 2025-02-21, 4400885

Exemptions: Section 20 of the Act (Information already reasonably accessible)

[~] Ofsted inspection terms of reference

2024-11-26 | Some information sent but not all held

The requester asked for Ofsted inspection terms of reference regarding children's services and emails concerning disability service inspections. The Department of Health and Social Care provided some information but withheld specific documents citing exemptions under Section 25 and Section 30(2)(b) of the Freedom of Information Act.

• The request was made to the Department of Health and Social Care on 2024-11-26.
• The authority responded on 2025-01-24 with an outcome of 'Some information sent but not all held'.
• The response included 18 pages across 2 documents.

Data: 2024-11-26, 2025-01-24, 18, 2, 4280269

Exemptions: Section 25; Section 30(2)b

Most Cited Exemptions

See Also

• Transparency Scorecard
• Outcome Trends