Health Minister David Ashford has told a Tynwald committee that his department is going to look ’very, very different’ in the future.

Mr Ashford and new interim chief executive officer Kathryn Magson were quizzed by the social affairs policy review committee over a transformation programme which is currently under way.

And he revealed there are no plans to replace the director of transformation who quit his role just two months in the post.

The shake-up in Mr Ashford’s department comes out of the findings of the Sir Jonathan Michael review of the island’s health and social care services.

In line with Sir Jonathan’s recommendations, the department will ’become focused purely on policy’, said the Minister, while Manx Care, ’a separate independent legal structure’ will be responsible for ’service delivery on the ground’.

Mr Ashford said Ms Magson was appointed on a two-year interim basis until Manx Care is up and running when ’the department and the way it operates is going to look very, very different’.

’It will be a much more focused, mandated position than it is now where everything is driven from the centre by the department.’

The Minister said they were no plans to replace transformation director John Spicer, who resigned just two months after beginning his two-year contract.

He said it was ’exceptionally unfortunate’ that he had left.

’He’s moved back to the UK and I can’t go into the details as to why because I don’t have any permission from him to share his personal information.

’Rather than going for another director of transformation, the Cabinet Office is looking at the existing resources that’s been appointed because we have a project manager for transformation and we are able to utilise that in a better way.

’If there was a good time for a transformation director to go, it was probably the most ideal time because he had already set up the first seven projects and they already had leads appointed for the projects to move forward.’

Mr Ashford said he had heard ’all these myths and rumours’ about the reasons for Mr Spicer’s departure.

But he said: ’The wonderful social media world that said he took one look and went "oh this is a basket case, I don’t want to touch it" is completely and utterly not true whatsoever.’

He added: ’He was enjoying the job.’

Ms Magson as interim chief executive succeeds Angela Murray who has become chief operating officer.

Ms Magson said it was ’quite normal’ to have a chief operating officer role in such an organisation as the DHSC.

Mr Ashford confirmed that the post wasn’t advertised.

He pointed out it was an interim role and once the Department of Health and Social Care becomes a ’policy hub’, then the role would sit within Manx Care and would have to be advertised.

The Minister said it was an ’absolutely crucial role’ as it provided a link between the department and the transformation team based in the Cabinet Office.

Mr Ashford said MHK and former nurse Clare Barber is being given a political delegation with the specific role of improving the ’culture’ within the DHSC.

Mrs Barber has previously raised concerns in Tynwald about bullying in the department.