Just one in four doctors at Manx Care would recommend it as a place to work, survey finds

Fewer than one in four doctors at Manx Care said they would recommend it as a place to work, according to the latest Culture of Care Barometer Survey.

The annual survey, which gathers the views of doctors working on the Isle of Man about the health service and the care it provides, indicates ongoing concerns about leadership, resources and staff engagement.

More than 60% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that the organisation listens to staff views.

While most doctors said they feel respected by colleagues and their immediate manager, only 13% reported seeing evidence of good leadership at senior levels.

The survey also pointed to pressures affecting patient care.

Just a quarter of respondents said they have the resources they need to do their job well, and slightly over a third said they have sufficient time to carry out their work effectively.

The survey results follow a recent external report that identified fundamental issues with Manx Care’s ability to operate independently from the Isle of Man Government.

The report concluded that the island’s health and social care model has not functioned as effectively as intended since its establishment in 2019.

Dr Prakash Thiagarajan, chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society, said the findings show little improvement since previous surveys.

Thiagarajan said: “Once again, we are seeing survey results that tell us very little is improving in Manx Care. Doctors without the time or the resources to care for their patients as they’d like to or do their jobs as they should.

“Less than a third of those who replied feel proud to work for Manx Care and less than a fifth believe that unacceptable behaviours are dealt with consistently.

“People on the Isle of Man should not be cared for by doctors who are demoralised and we should not have a health service staffed by doctors who do not believe they are valued by senior leaders at Manx Care.

“We have started a dialogue with Teresa Cope, the Chief Executive of Manx Care to ask how these issues will be addressed as well as ones on pay and safer staffing levels.”