The Department of Health and Social Care’s priorities for change in 2016/17 have been set out with the publication of its Service Delivery Plan.

The annual plan – which sets out what the department is aiming to achieve in the year ahead – is the first to be published since the approval by Tynwald last October of a five year strategy for the Island’s health and social care services. It firmly places customers at the heart of the department’s work.

Minister for Health and Social Care, Howard Quayle MHK, said: “The department now has a clear plan for how it will start to deliver the five goals set out in the strategy.

“The strategy is very much a long-term commitment and we cannot do everything in the first 12 months. However, I am pleased with the enthusiasm shown by members of the public, stakeholders and our staff over the past few months in getting behind the strategy and giving us detailed and helpful feedback at both workshops and roadshow events.

“Our progress with delivering the priorities will be shared with the public and staff throughout the year, and to help us do this we have also developed and published a communication plan.”

Highlights in the service delivery plan include:
• assessing the needs for services in the future;
• starting work on integrated care hubs;
• setting local waiting time targets for health services;
• improving information and access to information for customers; and,
• listening to and working more closely with staff and customers to improve services.

Chief Executive of the Department, Dr Malcolm Couch, added: “Since Tynwald approved our five year strategy we have sought as many views as possible, particularly in public meetings, to identify where our focus should be for this year. The people who gave us feedback should recognise in this plan what they said to us, and see our commitment to ensure that by March next year there will be the beginnings of real improvement in the services they receive.”