Future Manx health service inspections on focus on high risk areas

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper said GP surgeries could expect to be rated in future

Future inspections of the Isle of Man's health service will prioritise "high risk areas", a minister has said.

A series of Care Quality Commission (CQC) reviews identified issues at GP and dental practices, and at Noble's Hospital emergency department.

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper said services in the worst state would be reassessed first when the UK watchdog returns next year.

Routine inspections would "iron out" many of the issues found, he added.

The wave of assessments of Manx Care's direct and commissioned health services as part of efforts to establish a baseline for improvement.

Problems including inadequate cleaning regimes, a lack of recruitment checks and underdeveloped safeguarding practices at GP surgeries were recently highlighted by the CQC.

Mr Hooper said many of the problems were administrative, and he expected to see improvements "over the course of the next year or so".

The CQC had not been asked to give ratings in its initial assessments, as the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) wanted to encourage "reflection, learning, and actual improving", he said.

But ratings would become common in future, he added.

'Dedicated specialists'

It is anticipated the UK watchdog will have reviewed every area of the island's public health sector by the end of March.

The investigations were commissioned by the DHSC, with further external reviews planned next year.

"Significant investment" would be needed to tackle areas of concern raised in the reports, and a funding bid would be made in the upcoming government budget, Mr Hooper said.

A reliance on off-island regulators was expected to continue because "we're never going to have the resources to have dedicated specialists", he said.

But the DHSC, which took on an oversight and strategy role when Manx Care was created in 2021, was trying to "develop our own in-house skills", Mr Hooper added.