Manx Care commenced on April 1, 2021, on the recommendation of the Sir Jonathan Michael report. The following has been reported in the local press to the present day:
April 2021 – Dr Rosalind Ranson was not transferred to Manx Care from the DHSC because chief executive officer Teresa Cope and the late chairman Andrew Foster accepted ex-Department of Health and Social Care director Kathryn Magson’s opinion that she was not worthy.
This was despite Manx Cares own legal transfer scheme within the Manx Care Act 2021 enabling all DHSC employees safe transfer to Manx Care. We all know the well-publicised outcome of this.
April 2022 exactly a year later –– 62% of 49 doctors report Manx Care is not a good place to work (Examiner, April 26).
April and August 2022 – An insecure email attachment containing a patient’s confidential medical details was sent to 2,200 recipients.
Manx Care had already been under an enforcement order over its handling of confidential data. This continued failure led to a £170,500 fine (postponed).
September 2022 – Care Quality Commission (CQC) report into Manx Care exposed a ‘toxic culture’ and serious failings in patient care (Examiner, September 20 2022).
October 2022 – Independent review into the government’s handling of Covid-19 expected to conclude in December 2023, and will no doubt include actions of Manx Care.
May 2023 – The Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted ‘various issues at all levels’ of Manx Care eg safeguarding such as the safety of children, staff training, recruitment including absent employee checks, maintaining staff, and the storage and handling of medicines.
May 2023 – The British Medical Association (BMA) Chair reported 60 IOM doctors as describing Manx Care as having ‘a culture of fear’.
June 2023 – Two-year pay dispute with nurses getting ready to strike.
July 2023 - There has been a ‘secret’ whistleblowers culture investigation of 11 upheld allegations including bullying (Examiner, July 18, 2023) not made public, not reported to the Council of Ministers, with the 39 employees who took part being denied a copy of the report, and yet a DHSC spokesperson is quoted as saying ‘The law in relation to a duty of candour makes it a legal responsibility for health and social care to be open and transparent’ (Examiner, May 16 2023).
August 2023 – A&E department is currently experiencing ‘longer than usual waiting times.’ This has been repeatedly reported since the conception of Manx Care.
August 2023 – A backlog of referrals in CAMHS due to a ‘lack of a multi-agency strategy’.
August 2023 – A ‘huge’ amount of uncertainty regarding the potential closure of Cummal Mooar residential home in Ramsey.
I have most likely missed out various other misdemeanours of a better researcher, with even Juan Watterson saying ‘We still don’t have a health system in which the public can have confidence’ (Examiner, Dec 13, 2022). But suffice to say chief executive officer Teresa Cope is still at the helm of Manx Care.
Why?
Name and address supplied
This letter first appeared in the Isle of Man Examiner of August 20, 2023
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