'Long way for Manx Care to win trust of doctors'

There is still a "long way to go for Manx Care to win the trust of doctors" despite some improvements having been made, the results of a survey have suggested.

The British Medical Association's (BMA) annual culture of care barometer questionnaire surveyed 89 doctors, of whom 69% reported they felt their views were not being listened to.

BMA chairman Tom Dolphin said it showed there was "still a disconnect between doctors at the patient's bedside, and those who are managing the service".

Manx Care's executive medical director Chris Stockport said while there were "still things we need to continue working on", the overall picture was improving.

The survey also found that 64% of respondents did not think Manx Care valued the services they provided, and 71% said they did not see evidence of good leadership at senior level.

Dolphin said a "gap" between doctors and those managing the service had left them "feeling unable to give the care they want to".

However, he said that had "improved slightly" on previous years as Manx Care had tried to involve doctors more in the decision-making process.

But Dolphin said it was going to take "a long time for those scores to improve to the point where you can say 'this is a well-cultured organisation - where doctors are listened to, where healthcare leaders opinions are acted on in the patient's best interest'.

"There is still quite a long way for Manx Care to win the trust of doctors on the Isle of Man."

But Stockport said that of the 30 questions included in the annual survey, responses for 27 of them had "significantly improved".

He put a slight decrease in the number of doctors knowing who their line manager was, down to a restructure aimed at ensuring "the medical voice was more prominent".

"My focus this year has been about making sure the clinical voice is heard in the senior parts of the organisation and that it reflects what colleagues in Manx Care feel," said Stockport.

"We recognise there is room for improvement in making sure all our clinicians have an active say in our priorities as an organisation, because without the clinical voice, you don't make the same decisions in a healthcare organisation."

Changes include appointing a number of clinical directors, and plans to establish a "professional senate" early this year.

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