Healthcare provider tasked with making £6m saving

The Isle of Man's healthcare provider has been set the task of prioritising reduced waiting times for services while making £6m in savings in the next financial year by the health department.

In its mandate to Manx Care, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said other priorities should also include more community based care and starting private day services.

The document sets out targets for the arm's length provider for the 2026-27 year, with its response due to be outlined in a detailed Operating Plan next month.

DHSC Minister Claire Christian said: "The mandate does not seek to resolve every challenge within a single year," but sets a "clear and confident direction of travel."

"We are realistic about the pressures the system faces - workforce constraints, rising demand, and the needs of an ageing population," she said.

"We also recognise the responsibilities that come with public funding," she continued, adding that "fiscal discipline underpins every commitment of this mandate".

Although the department's budget for the coming financial year has not yet been outlined publicly, the document said that Manx Care should deliver £6m in savings through a rolling Cost Improvement Programme.

Manx Care, which was set up in 2021 in response to concerns over annual overspends in health, has itself posted a deficit each year since.

In the coming year's mandate, Manx Care has been asked to identify the main causes of its annual deficit and work with the Treasury to develop a sustainable funding model for the future.

The healthcare provider has also been tasked with commencing private day services in "at least two specialties", with an aim to deliver 100 complete cases by the year end.

The document said waiting lists for outpatients should be reduced by cutting the number of re-referrals by encouraging patients to book their own appointments when necessary rather than attending routine follow-ups.

It also places an emphasis on increasing the number of off-island appointments carried out virtually, as well as the validation of 80% of speciality wating lists to make sure they are up to date and medically justified.

Another target includes improving access to dentists for children, which follows a survey published last year highlighting that more children on the island had problems with tooth decay than their UK counterparts.

Plans to move more care in community settings includes allowing patients to access prescription only medicines for seven common conditions at pharmacies without a GP appointment.

Christian said that challenges faced by the health system "demands a decisive shift towards prevention and early intervention, rather than reliance on costly, reactive acute care".

The document will be laid before Tynwald at the February sitting.

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