A health chief says he will continue to be straight-talking with politicians, despite hearing his words quoted in Tynwald by a former minister.

Dr Malcolm Couch, who is chief executive at the Department of Health and Social Care, said it was crucial that he is always frank and honest about problems facing the health services, even if it means his words being used again by politicians.

’I have got broad shoulders,’ he said. ’With my role I do accept from time to time my name may well be mentioned.’

Asked if he would continue to be robust in conversations with ministers, he said: ’You have to.’

He spoke to the Manx Independent after former health minister Kate Beecroft told Tynwald of comments he had made.

Mrs Beecroft said Dr Couch compared the Isle of Man with the Mid Staffordshire Health Trust, which became the focus of allegations that poor care had led to patient deaths and the health authority had ignored concerns.

She asked the current Health Minister David Ashford if he was ’aware then that his chief executive, when I was a minister, informed me that Noble’s was a Mid Staffs situation and he feared that’.

She added: ’I realise it is some 10 months now since I have been sacked, so the situation could have changed since then but is the minister also aware that I understand his chief executive recently said in front of staff that, "If the Care Quality Commission came in they would close the doors and put tape over them"?’

But Dr Couch said the context was vital.

With regards to the first comment, it was a case of ensuring serious problems were not ignored, putting patients at risk.

Last year there was a review of the endoscopy service after it was discovered some patients had not been recalled for further tests.

This year, it was discovered some women had been wrongly given the all-clear after a breast screening, when they should have been referred for further investigation.

The problem was found at the next routine screening and linked back to the same radiologist, whose entire workload was reviewed.

Dr Couch said that in those situations, it was important to ask whether the Isle of Man health service was in a ’Mid Staffs situation’ but the answer in each case, was no.

’They were clearly patient safety issues and they were really worrying to me as chief executive and to the Minister,’ he said.

’What I wouldn’t want anybody to think is that we would ever brush under the carpet or try to minimise key safety issues.

’That is the context.’

The remark about the CQC, he said, was in the context of the expected appointment of an independent regulator for the Manx health service, which he supports, and was to warn staff there was always a possibility they would be called on to stop certain practices.

He said the performance at Noble’s Hospital needed to improve, but that would always be his aim.

Dr Couch acknowledged there had been much speculation about how well he and Mrs Beecroft got on during her time as minister from 2016-17.

He said: ’To my minister I am an apolitical, objective, hard-working public servant with a set of objectives and accountabilities and I will deliver them to the best of my ability.

’I have worked with three ministers and have operated in the same way with each of them. Clearly there are personal aspects to any relationship.

’It is a very close relationship between the chief executive and the minister.’

He said his relationship with the current Minister, David Ashford, was ’good’.