Doctors express 'deep discontent' with Manx Care in British Medical Association survey

• Isle of Man correspondent Joshua Stokes has been talking to both sides on the Island

Doctors on the Isle of Man are disillusioned with their jobs - with a lack of confidence in management and a poor culture to blame.

A survey by the British Medical Association found only 15% of those who took part would recommend the Island's main healthcare provider Manx Care, as a good place to work.

Of those who responded, only 9% felt they were being heard , while 81% disagreed with the statement 'Manx Care has a positive culture'.

The service, which launched in 2021, says it is working with doctors to resolve their differences.

Dr Prakash Thiagarajan, the Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society said many felt undervalued.

"Most of the doctors feel they have things done to them rather than being part of the decision making, and they don't feel like they're valued enough," he said.

"They feel undervalued and over-stretched without sufficient resource to help them."

Dr Prakash Thiagarajan says doctors feel undervalued

Many of the problems, it is claimed, stem from the main hospital on the Island, Noble's Hospital.

The 'Culture of Care Barometer' collected 82 responses, after being sent to all 155 doctors working directly for Manx Care.

In a free text section of the survey, one doctor said, “Senior managers need to come and follow a shift on Monday morning in theatres to experience how the system is failing patients."

Another said: “Doesn't matter. No one is going to listen. It's pointless mentioning anything."

Doctors said they felt 'over-stretched and under-resourced', with 67% believing they do not have the resources they need to do a good job, and only 20% agreeing that they have sufficient time to do their job well.

77% of respondents to the survey disagreed that Manx Care managers know how things really are, and only 9% believe that the trust listens to staff views.

More than half also strongly disagree that Manx Care values the service doctors provide.

Chair of council of the BMA, Professor Phil Banfield said: “I’ve heard repeatedly over the last two years from doctors on the Isle of Man just how deeply frustrated they are at work, so these results are no surprise to me.

"The culture that doctors work in is intrinsically tied to the quality of care they are able to give, so these results should concern us all.

"The BMA is committed to working with Manx doctors to help them organise and advocate for themselves in their workplace – we hope the management of Manx Care are ready to work with us.”

Dr Thiagarajan added: “Following previous barometer of care surveys we’ve been hopeful that poor results could act as a catalyst for change, but after this third set of results showing that doctors are frustrated, overworked, and crucially, don’t feel listened to, we’re losing faith that Manx Care has the will to change things.

"We hope to be proven wrong, for the sake of doctors who deserve better working lives than this – and for patients on the Isle of Man who must receive the best care possible.”

Manx Care say it is "disappointed with the results", adding it may not agree with what the doctors are saying, but it is "willing to listen".

Teresa Cope, CEO of Manx Care, said: "I do want to get into the detail and have the discussion with colleagues as to actually who do they feel is not listening.

"That's the bit we need to get underneath, where is that disconnect happening and how do we resolve it."

She added: "We've got to get this into perspective, I meet clinicians every day, formally and informally, and on the corridors, many of them are very proud to work at Manx Care.

In a statement after the survey results, it said the organisation has "successfully attracted permanent medical staff" over the past couple of years, during a 'financially challenging' time.

This includes restricting money available to negotiate pay settlements for doctors, which remains unresolved.

After discussions with the BMA, the Manx Care Board agreed to pay 6% for the last year, but acknowledged it does not end the pay dispute.

An all-staff survey is now being circulated to get a broader view of any issues, as doctors decide their next move.

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