Isle of Man health boss steps down after unfair dismissal case

Karen Malone was appointed to the role in February after being interim CEO

The chief executive of the Isle of Man's health department has resigned with immediate effect, four months after she was promoted to the role.

Karen Malone has left the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) after a medic's unfair dismissal prompted a pledge to reform government culture.

Head of the Office of Human Resources Claire Conie has also resigned.

Both departures follow the retirement of the chief secretary and resignation of the treasury minister David Ashford.

In a statement Ms Malone said she had left to "pursue personal interests", while Ms Conie said she resigned to allow a review of the Office of Human Resources to be done "comprehensively, objectively and with full transparency".

Culture change

The changes come after an employment tribunal's report prompted Chief Minister Alfred Cannan to announce plans for "fundamental and wide-ranging reforms" to the culture in government.

The report found Rosalind Ranson was unfairly sacked for raising concerns clinical advice was blocked from reaching the Council of Ministers by DHSC chief executive Kathryn Magson while Mr Ashford was health minister.

Ms Magson was criticised for her treatment of Dr Ranson by the tribunal who said the medical director had suffered a "period of torrid humiliation" for speaking out.

Text messages between Ms Malone, the then DHSC deputy chief executive, and Ms Magson about the medial director had been "unprofessional", the panel added.

In a statement in the House of Keys on Tuesday, Mr Ashford said he chose to resign to allow those "much needed" changes to take place and ensure he was no longer a "distraction".

But he warned "changing a few people at the top" would not resolve issues of culture, adding changes to the separated legal status of government departments was needed.

"If we are going to have cultural change, we also need structural change, as otherwise we end up going around the same circle over and over again."