Manx Care boss follows CEO in latest resignation

The chair of Manx Care has announced she will step down later this year.

Wendy Reid said it had been a "privilege" to lead the organisation and that the time was right for new leadership following the decision of chief executive Teresa Cope to leave this summer.

Reid has chaired Manx Care since February 2024 and said she was "immensely proud" of what had been achieved during her tenure.

Her departure comes at a challenging time for Manx Care, after Noble's Hospital was placed under its highest level of operational pressure last week following an "exceptional surge in demand".

Health Minister Claire Christian said Noble's Hospital reached 98.9% bed occupancy when it entered Operational Pressures Escalation Level Four, an alert status used to maintain safe care during periods of extreme strain.

On Tuesday, she told Tynwald that more than 280 people attended the emergency department over 12 and 13 May, with 60 admissions during the period.

In a statement announcing her departure, Reid said: "Health and social care services continue to face significant pressures, particularly rising demand and increasing complexity of care.

"These pressures mean accepting uncomfortable trade-offs or risk instability when expectations exceed capacity."

Reid said she had originally come to the island to work alongside Cope and believed Cope's departure had made it "the right time" for her to go as well.

The two resignations come as the DHSC continues a Governance Review aimed at strengthening and simplifying its relationship with Manx Care.

An independent review previously identified four "fundamental issues" for the organisation, including funding and strategy, governance, core processes, and communication and engagement.

Reid said the timing of her departure would allow "the next phase of leadership and governance arrangements to be shaped for the future".

Minister Christian thanked the chair for her "leadership and service" in the role, saying her experience and commitment to improving standards had been evident throughout the organisation.

She said she looked forward to continuing to work with Reid over the coming months as the Governance Review concluded and arrangements were made to appoint a successor.

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