Minister 'resigned too early' over health funding

Alfred Cannan has taken over leadership of the health department

The Isle of Man's former health minister stepped down from the role "far too early" in a row over future funding for services, the chief minister has said.

Lawrie Hooper resigned in a dispute over the recently announced £5m in cuts planned by Manx Care to reduce its forecast £16.8m overspend in 2024-25.

The former minister argued that to make such rapid changes would result in “some pretty damaging cuts to the health service” including “risks of patient harm”.

However, Alfred Cannan argued “clarity” was needed around the service delivery and efficiency expected of Manx Care, with a conversation about funding to follow afterwards.

Former health minister David Ashford MHK and former infrastructure minister Chris Thomas MHK have been appointed political members of the Department of Health and Social Care following the departure of Hooper and former political member Joney Faragher on Tuesday.

However, Cannan said he will not be drawn on a timescale for the appointment of a replacement minister.

He said he had had some “very useful” discussions with the Manx Care executive team already and could "reset this for the years ahead”.

"Anybody is going to be concerned about cuts, but the critical point is that we just cannot have a health service that is continuously overspending in a nation with defined budgets and a clear financial plan and with so many competing demands for funding,” he said.

“Just to claim the system is underfunded and not to take responsibility for proper year on year planning, is just simply irresponsible.”

He said he felt Hooper had "gone far too early, but we need to pick up the pieces now and we need to move forward".

Ex Health Minister Lawrie Hooper resigned over what he deemed "dangerous" service cuts

However, Hooper refuted the suggestion he could have done more by staying in post longer.

He said he “had reached the point it was very clear to me that I was just not going to get listened to" and the chief minister was "going to try to force these things through, and he would try and blame me for it essentially”.

Hooper said what he believed it would take to fully balance Manx Care's books from its £16.8m overspend had been presented to the Council of Ministers, including the "quite high" detrimental consequences for patients.

“It will mean ward closures, it will mean closing things like the Manx Emergency Doctors Service, it will mean closing actual services," he said.

Taking those steps in terms of long-term funding would see the government heading towards the “privatisation” of the health service, he added.