The 2024-25 Mandate sets out all of the services and projects the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) expect Manx Care to deliver, and their performance targets.
It includes a set list of the services that the public should be able to access, as well as outlining the way Manx Care are expected to manage their budget and governance.
This year it also includes five priority areas for Manx Care to focus on transformation and improvement.
As the statutory ‘contract’ between the DHSC and Manx Care, the 2024-25 document is bigger than previous years. This is because it contains more detail about the expected level of services now and in the future.
It also describes services which should be further developed including the primary care at scale project, implementing the wellbeing and mental health strategy, improving access to CAMHS and early help services, and continuing to deliver the actions agreed to improve oral health in children.
Minister for Health and Social Care, Lawrie Hooper MHK, said:
‘This year’s mandate is bigger as it provides more details than previous versions, reflecting the size of the task to commission and deliver an entire health and social care service.
We know that transforming a health service doesn’t happen overnight. Instead this Mandate delivers a shift in focus to the long term vision of healthcare, and looking at the services, data and systems needed to support that.
‘This year we’re also pushing Manx Care to live within its means, asking them to really drive efficiencies and provide proof that services are being run in the most sustainable and effective way. We’ve also given direction on how they should prioritise services should they encounter budget issues, preserving the delivery of emergency and critical care at all times.’
The five priorities in the 2024-25 mandate are:
‘Fully integrated health and care systems’, challenging Manx Care to ensure there is effective access to, and transition between, services. Actions listed to support this priority include setting out the next phases of work to fully roll out Activity Based Costing (ABC) the following year, and delivery of projects which will increase access to GPs and urgent care.
‘Safe appropriate and consistent care’ actions are designed to ensure that patient feedback and the demand on services is fully understood, that Manx Care is financially sustainable and that performance targets are met.
‘Planning for future population needs’ puts emphasis on providing care in the community and closer to home in order to reduce impact on secondary care (the hospital). This includes the expansion of wellbeing hub coverage, the exploration of virtual wards, and a frailty service.
‘Prevention, early intervention and childhood experiences’ lists the multi-agency strategies that must be implemented, including the National Autism Strategy, Suicide Prevention actions and Substance Misuse support, and requires Manx Care to look at how vulnerable young people access services.
‘Governance and accountability’ actions require Manx Care to continue to review contracts, improve data collection and support and grow their workforce.
Specific targets have again been set as part of the Mandate Framework Metrics. These figures are collected monthly, and demonstrate the standards being met.
Performance against previous Mandate targets is also available on the Mandate Framework webpage. The annual letter of assessment from the DHSC provides an office review on how Manx Care performed against the previous Mandate.
The 2024-25 Mandate will be will be laid before the March sitting of Tynwald, and effective from 1 April 2024.
