Manx Care spends more than £400,000 with off-Island recruitment firms

FoI reveals cost since healthcare provider came into being in 2021

Manx Care has spent more than £400,000 with off-Island recruitment firms since it took charge of the Island's health services four years ago.

The figure has been released in response to a Freedom of Information request from Manx Radio.

In its first year of operation, Manx Care confirmed using off-Island recruitment companies had cost almost £75,000, increasing to more than £135,000 the following year.

This dropped to £86,000 for the 2023-24 financial year, while the spend for 2024-25 was over £111,000.

Manx Radio also asked how often Manx Care had used an off-Island recruitment firm since it came into existence, but the board said it did not hold this information.

A document entitled 'recruitment agency engagement guidance framework' supplied as part of the response to the FoI request stresses that public bodies should think about whether they have exhausted all opportunities to fill a vacancy using in-house recruiters before turning to an agency, which can be a costly option.

However, it recognises that there are specific areas of expertise where cost-effective recruitment agency use is appropriate, particularly in areas where there are national or international shortages.

The guidance goes on to say continued reliance on external recruitment markets can be a risky strategy, and urges those with vacancies to consider medium to longer term options for future vacancies.

Manx Care's response comes more than seven months after the FoI was submitted.