Manx Care is to launch a three-year financial recovery plan during the next financial year.

Details are set out in Manx Care’s Mandate for 2026-27 which has been published ahead of this month’s Budget.

It set out the services and improvement measures that the Department of Health and Social Care expects the arm’s length healthcare provider to deliver over the coming year, together with performance targets.

One of the priorities listed by the DHSC is for Manx Care to ensure robust governance, financial sustainability and transparent reporting,

The Mandate states that Manx Care will implement the first year of a three-year Financial Recovery Plan during 2026-27.

It says this plan will ‘identify the underlying drivers of financial deficit, set out corrective actions, and support long-term sustainability’.

Progress will be reported quarterly to DHSC and monitored through the governance framework.

The DHSC expects Manx Care to deliver £6m recurrent savings, in addition to the 1% implied efficiencies in the funding formula.

A goal to reduce outpatient wait times, with targets to be agreed with the DHSC by April this year, is also set out in the Mandate together with a target of increasing by 15% the number of off-island appointments undertaken virtually or intervention delivered on-island.

Waiting time standards for cancer care are also set to be improved in line with the Mandate.

By March 2027, 85% of patients who receive a cancer diagnosis after an urgent suspected cancer referral, referral for breast cancer symptoms, or via cancer screening, should start treatment within 62 days of that initial referral.

A commitment to reintroduce private care is also outlined.

The Mandate states that by April 30 this year, the necessary governance, oversight, and contractual protections should be in place to begin private day cases in at least two specialties.

It says the aim will be for 100 complete cases by year-end with quarterly financial reporting and an evaluation report submitted to DHSC by March 2027.

The Mandate has been developed to ensure that priorities and expectations are aligned with the amount of money available for the coming year.

‘Each priority is grounded in the reality of this year’s Budget as set out in the 2026-2027 Pink Book,’ it states, adding that ‘final activity plans will be aligned to the confirmed budget’.

In her foreword to the document, Health and Social Care Minister Claire Christian MHK states: ‘This is the most significant Mandate since the creation of Manx Care in 2021.

‘[It} sets the direction for how we will achieve our ambition, ensuring care is delivered responsibly, sustainably and within the resources entrusted to us,

‘The recent governance review has allowed us to take stock, strengthen accountability and clarify the relationship between the department and Manx Care.

‘But we are under no illusion that performance is under great scrutiny, which is why this Mandate combines realistic delivery with financial discipline.’

The Manx Care operating plan 2026-27, which forms a detailed response to the requirements of the Mandate, will be laid before the March sitting of Tynwald.