Manx Care has released new figures detailing how many off‑island recruits to the Isle of Man Ambulance Service have received relocation support since 2020.
According to the response, 23 employees recruited from outside the island received financial assistance to relocate.
This includes relocation grants, housing assistance or recruitment incentives. The total amount paid in relocation‑related support was £108,470.28, covering all 23 staff.
A further 15 employees received recruitment incentive payments, totalling £16,000. These incentives are used for hard to recruit posts and are paid in staged instalments.
Incentive Payments
The FOI shows that no employees left within 12 months, but fewer than 10 left within 24 months, the period during which relocation and incentive payments may become repayable. No staff left within 36 months.
Because the numbers are small, Manx Care withheld some breakdowns under Section 25(b) of the Freedom of Information Act, citing the risk of identifying individuals.
The total value of payments that became repayable was £2,631.10, and at the time of the response none of this had yet been repaid.
Across the period, £124,470.28 was paid out in relocation‑related support, with £9,881.10 later returned to government through negative payroll entries, though Manx Care notes these may include corrections rather than repayments triggered by policy.
Manx Care said it does not hold information on whether repayment requirements were waived, as decisions of that nature sit outside its payroll records.
Relocation Policy
Copies of the relocation and recruitment incentive policies were provided, including the DHSC Relocation Policy 2018 and the Civil Service Relocation Expenses Scheme.
The FOI also provided copies of the relocation policies used during the period, including the DHSC Relocation Policy 2018 and the Civil Service Relocation Expenses Scheme.
Under the PSC scheme, relocation costs can be reimbursed up to £10,000, with permanent or three year appointments eligible for the full amount and shorter contracts receiving a pro‑rata grant calculated as: £10,000 ÷ 36 × contract length (months).
