Graham Clucas is to step down as chief executive officer of mental health charity Quing.

He cited the total lack of support from the Manx government for services like Quing, which resulted in him having to work two jobs to pay his own bills on top of running the charity.

Mr Clucas described the UK government as currently ’pouring millions of pounds of funding into organisations like Quing’ but added that ’unfortunately this isn’t the case over here [in the island]’.

’An opportunity arose in the UK which is really well supported and well funded, and I feel like I can do more good in the United Kingdom that I can here with no support from the [Manx] government’, he said.

He added that the role he will be going on to do across will be ’very similar’ to what he was doing at Quing, but with a monthly salary and pension instead.

We reported in December last year the comments Mr Clucas had made to a Tynwald committee hearing where he described having felt ’bullied, ignored, and stood upon’ by the Manx government.

He said that when Quing invited representatives of government’s mental health services department to visit, he had been ’ utterly shocked at how they treated us’.

Speaking about the charity’s future, Mr Clucas explained that he has resigned as both a Quing director and chief executive, with the latter being a voluntary role, and that the other directors will continue to maintain the charity’s social space where people can talk openly about their mental health.

Mr Clucas said that he was announcing his decision to stand down with ’great sadness’, adding: ’It has been an amazing journey with you all.

’I hope we have made the Isle of Man a slightly better place to live for everyone.’

In response to Mr Clucas’s criticisms, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ’The department values its relationships and partnerships with third sector organisations in the mental health arena, including Quing.

’Key members of the mental health service management team sought to develop collaborative working on service development with Quing during 2020.

’Increasing the choice for people that use our services requires an appreciation and respect for the expertise and experience of a range of providers, and Quing’s expertise and experience in peer support training and education was the basis for MHS seeking to build a relationship with Quing.

’We signposted staff and service users to a conference that they had organised, and continue to include Quing when considering signposting individuals for support.’

The department spokesman went on to describe Manx mental health services as undergoing a ’significant transformation’ towards a greater emphasis on a ’recovery’ focus.

It said that this means an approach which ’supports individuals to live beyond their illness, reclaiming their life goals and identity - focusing on the person rather than the diagnosis’.

The DHSC added that a key aspect of this new approach will be a focus on working relationships with community, charity and third sector organisations whose ’expertise, knowledge and skills’ the department respects’.