Bid to move Isle of Man health transformation team

A 2018 review of the Isle of Man's health services made 26 recommendations

Moving a transformation team to the health department would streamline processes, the minster has said.

The Health and Care Transformation Programme was formed to oversee recommended changes to services following a 2018 review.

In November Tynwald will debate moving it out of the Cabinet Office.

Health and Social Care (DHSC) Minister Lawrie Hooper said moving it to his department would create "closer oversight" of advances.

Following a a series of overspends by the department, former NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Sir Jonathan Michael was appointed to review Manx health services and their delivery, putting forward 26 recommendations, including the creation of arm's length service provider Manx Care.

'Bureaucracy'

Mr Hooper said the transformation programme had initially been placed under the oversight of the Cabinet Office as Sir Michael believed it "needed a central government push" in the outset.

However, now that "big structural changes" had been made with the setting up of Manx Care, moving the team "made sense" as the focus was now on "legislative and operational" advances, such as the record and care pathway reviews, he said.

Although changes to existing governance arrangements would be needed, it would streamline reporting structures to bring them in line with those detailed in the Island Plan, Mr Hooper said.

The "extra layers of bureaucracy" that were needed in the outset but were now "hindering rather than helping", he said.

Mr Hooper said by aligning transformation goals with Manx Care's priorities, some projects "might be able to get up and running more quickly, where there is capacity in the system".

If agreed during the November sitting of Tynwald, it is expected the move would be completed by the end of the year.

The department said while seven of the recommendations had been completed, work on the remaining 19 was still ongoing.

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