Manx Care will hold its first public open day and annual public meeting later this month.

The informal drop-in event will be held on Tuesday, May 24.

The organisation is inviting members of the public to visit different stalls to meet the teams and members of staff at the forefront of delivering care.

It is designed to be an opportunity for people to be able to find out more about the organisation’s plans for the future delivery of health and statutory social care services in the island.

The event will be used to highlight what Manx Care has done in its first year of operation, as well as be transparent about the challenges it encountered, through the use of a short documentary to be played within a small cinema area.

There will also be a more formal annual public meeting, presentation and question-and-answer session with members of Manx Care’s board.

development

Two speeches will be given, one from Tania Linden, head of operations for Adult Integrated Mental Health Services on the development of an Isle of Man Recovery College, and the second from Dr Duncan Gerry, consultant geriatrician, on the development of a frailty strategy for the Isle of Man.

The event is being held at Vagabonds’ Rugby Club on the Noble’s Hospital site in Strang, between 3pm and 7pm, with the sit-down annual public meeting and presentation between 5.30pm and 6.45pm.

Refreshments will be available, and there will be a face painter for younger visitors.

There will also be the opportunity for members of the public to meet teams from government departments with whom Manx Care works closely, and some of Manx Care’s emergency services partners, including the opportunity to take a look at some of the equipment they use in the course of their work.

Andrew Foster, chairman of Manx Care, said: ‘When we launched on April 1, 2021, Manx Care made a clear commitment to engaging with the public and being much more transparent about the way in which we operate, and so I’m delighted that we’re able to hold our first public open day and annual public meeting later this month as part of that commitment.

‘This will really offer members of the public the chance to come and meet some of the clinicians involved in delivering frontline health and care services in a friendly, informal and relaxed environment, hear about our challenges and successes during our first year of operation, as well as hear from our two keynote guest speakers who’ll be covering both physical health and mental health topics in their respective talks.

‘I’m really looking forward to meeting members of the public at the event, and I’d urge people to attend – even if they can only spare a few minutes – to find out more about our plans for the future delivery of health and statutory social care services on the Isle of Man.’