Manx Care has today (13 July) published its five-year review, setting out how the organisation has strengthened services, improved quality and safety, and built a more integrated health and social care system for the Isle of Man since its inception in 2021.
Over the period reviewed, Manx Care has demonstrated increasing organisational maturity, strengthened governance and assurance, and delivered measurable improvements in service integration, quality, safety and community-based care. Across successive annual Mandates, the majority of objectives have been met or partially met, with clear year-on-year improvement.
Since its establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation has focused on recovery, restoration and the development of more integrated models of care and strengthened governance. This has included the establishment of the Multiagency Safeguarding Hub, expansion of community-based services, and continued progress in delivering care closer to home through intermediate care, frailty services and Health and Care Communities.
The review charts Manx Care’s journey through five demanding years:
- Year one (2021/22) – established during the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining safe services while delivering vaccination and testing programmes
- Year two (2022/23) – recovery from COVID-19 alongside the first comprehensive inspections by the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted
- Year three (2023/24) – restoration and recovery programmes, including the establishment of the Multiagency Safeguarding Hub, while addressing inspection recommendations
- Year four (2024/25) – growing external recognition as governance and quality matured, including:
- Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) – two-year accreditation for operating departments
- British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) – accreditation for antimicrobial stewardship
- Anticoagulation Clinic – ranked among the best in the British Isles
- Mortuary Team – award for compassionate support to bereaved families
- Major Trauma and Critical Care Network peer review – excellent feedback, highlighting significant progress
- British Psychological Society – appointment of Dr Brian Murray as UK Chair for Counselling Psychology
- Royal College of Surgeons review – confirmation that services are safe, with recommendations for future development
- Year five (2025/26) – focus on strengthening community-based care, including Health and Care Communities, intermediate care and frailty services
Alongside this, the organisation has made steady progress in developing its workforce. Vacancy levels have reduced over time, supported by targeted recruitment and retention initiatives and the expansion of on-Island training programmes, helping to build a more sustainable workforce for the future.
The report highlights the ongoing financial challenges facing health and social care, with increasing demand and global inflation placing sustained pressure on costs. However, it also demonstrates improved financial discipline, including delivery of cost improvement programmes and a significant reduction in reliance on high-cost agency staffing.
Manx Care’s former Chief Executive Officer, Teresa Cope, said:
‘This review reflects the reality of the last five years, during which time we have built a new organisation, in the middle of a global pandemic, while continuing to provide care every day for the Island. That has required resilience, focus, and an unwavering commitment from our staff.
We are now in a stronger position than when we started. We have established more robust governance, improved the quality and safety of our services, and brought health and social care closer together in a way that is beginning to make a real difference for patients.
We have been equally clear about the challenges we face. Demand continues to increase, workforce supply remains constrained, and the financial environment is extremely challenging. These are not short-term issues, and they are not unique to the Isle of Man, but they do shape the pace at which change can be delivered.
Our priority now is to build on the progress we have made, particularly by strengthening care in the community and reducing reliance on hospital-based services wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
I want to thank our staff for their professionalism and commitment over the past five years. Their contribution has been central to the progress reflected in this report, and it will be critical to the next phase of improvement.’
The next phase for Manx Care will focus on strengthening its out‑of‑hospital model, building on progress in community services, intermediate care and frailty pathways to deliver more care closer to home and improve patient outcomes.
