Doctors' trust in Manx Care remains low - survey

Trust in Manx Care and its senior management remains low among doctors on the Isle of Man despite improvement on annual figures, a survey has found.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has released the findings of its Culture of Care Barometer questionnaire, which was carried out in 2025.

The survey of 89 doctors found that 64% of respondents did not think Manx Care valued the services they provided, and 69% felt their views were not listened to.

Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society Prakash Thiagarajan said results showed that "very little is improving in Manx Care".

In response Manx Care said the long-term findings were positive and it showed "year-on-year improvement".

It was "pleasing to note that most participants feel respected, by both their colleagues and line managers", it said.

In the survey, just 13% said they saw "evidence of good leadership at senior levels", with 71% reporting they did not.

Thiagarajan said: "People on the Isle of Man should not be cared for by doctors who are demoralised and we should not have a health service staffed by doctors who do not believe they are valued by senior leaders at Manx Care.

"We have started a dialogue with Teresa Cope, the chief executive of Manx Care to ask how these issues will be addressed as well as ones on pay and safer staffing levels."

It comes after an independent report found "fundamental issues" with how the healthcare provider could operate arms-length from the government.

The healthcare operator was set up in 2021 to take over the day-to-day running of health services from the health department on the recommendation of a review by former NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Sir Jonathan Michael.

From the same survey carried out in 2024, 74% of the 83 respondents said they would not recommend the healthcare provider as a good place to work.

That number dropped to 54% in this latest questionnaire.

Again in the 2024 consultation, nearly 80% did not think there was strong leadership at the highest level of the organisation.

This number fell, albeit more modestly, to 71% for 2025.

And when questioned about whether staff had enough resources to do their jobs, 57% said they did not in this last year - 10% fewer than the year before.

Manx Care said the survey showed "a positive trajectory, with the vast majority of indicators showing improvement".

But it also acknowledged that some responses had indicated "legacy negative feelings around the creation of Manx Care in 2021".

It added that participants had also sought "more constructive feedback, more positive role models, more support in their development and more training opportunities".

Manx Care said these were "all key drivers for last year's work to develop the clinical leadership model" that was now in place.

It also said respondents were "ready" for the introduction of a "Manx Care professional senate", which was agreed and endorsed by the Manx Care board in November.

This panel would "create opportunities for staff and their managers to share views and create greater understanding".

Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.