Former health minister Lawrie Hooper has continued his criticism of the Mandate for Manx Care, saying it will lead to more people turning up at A&E and increasing pressures there.
He has moved a motion calling on the mandate to be replaced.
Speaking in Tynwald, Hooper highlighted contradictions in the document, stating: “The mandate says A&E waiting times won’t get any worse, and Manx Care says, actually they probably will, because you aren’t treating people, so there’s a greater chance they’re going to rock up at A&E.”
Vulnerable
The Liberal Vannin leader also condemned the lack of funding for vulnerable groups, particularly looked-after children:
He said: “We accept we have a system that is not meeting the needs of some of the most vulnerable children in our society, and we are not going to do anything about it. That is absolutely disgraceful.”
Mr Hooper warned of a shift towards privatisation, quoting an AI analysis of the mandate: “It represents a shift towards privatisation in practice, reducing the public system’s scope and leaning on private providers to fill gaps, potentially at patients’ expense.”
He urged Tynwald to reject the mandate, calling it “unacceptable” and demanding the government “go back, try again, and do better.”
8 Comments