Taking Ownership of Change: Why the Isle of Man is Using Innovation to Enhance its Health and Social Care
By Mark Fuller, Director of Health and Social Care Transformation, Isle of Man Government Department for Health and Social Care (www.gov.im)
After more than 20 years working within the NHS, I’ve seen first-hand the pressures of transforming complex health and social care systems. Joining the Isle of Man Government’s Department for Health and Social Care, I found similar challenges: workforce shortages, fragmented digital infrastructure and balancing financial pressures with rising expectations. But what stood out was the scale of the opportunity.
Rather than allowing constraints to define us, the Isle of Man has made a clear decision: to take ownership of change. Our annual Innovation Challenge signals that intent. In 2026, the Challenge is focusing entirely on Health and Social Care – inviting global innovators to work with us to solve real problems and improve outcomes for the people we serve, tackling our challenges head on.
A system ready for change
Like the UK, our services are under strain, but they are filled with passionate individuals, eager for progress. My experience working closely with Manx Care has revealed a deeply committed workforce who want to make things better for patients, service-users, carers, and colleagues. What holds us back isn’t enthusiasm, it’s infrastructure. With over 140 digital systems in play, data sharing is cumbersome and the administrative burden is high – hindering efficiency and patient care.
However, the public purse is not bottomless, and we can’t hire our way out of these challenges. We need a platform to trial, refine and scale solutions that work.
The Innovation Challenge: turning potential into progress
With appetite for digital innovation growing, there is an appreciation that technology can deliver massive efficiencies: streamlining administration, improving workforce management, and enabling data-driven decision-making.
That’s where the 2026 Innovation Challenge comes in. Born from early conversations with the Department for Enterprise, which highlighted the impact of innovations the Island has already implemented in areas Data, EdTech and Fintech from previous finalists. The Challenge was quickly recognised as the ideal vehicle to bring new thinking into our health and care systems. Through this year’s focus, we want to signal the Isle of Man is open to innovation, partnering with global companies to co-create solutions.
What will work and why
Having led NHS transformation projects, I know that targeted innovation delivers real progress. On the Isle of Man, we’re focused on practical solutions that enhance care, support professionals, and improve outcomes. Integrated records, digital tools, and AI can reduce administrative burden – for example, automating patient correspondence or streamlining workforce planning with smart rostering. Better use of data can shift staff time from manual reporting to genuine service improvement.
These changes free colleagues to focus on high value work rather than paperwork. For service users, digital resources and apps can also increase independence, moving from paternalistic care to true partnership. These are just some of the opportunities we’re ready to explore.
A testbed for the future
The Isle of Man is uniquely positioned as a “petri dish” to lead digital transformation. Our integrated health and social care structure allows for rapid implementation and meaningful evaluation. Broader than a typical “integrated trust” in the UK, Manx Care is responsible for primary, secondary, health, social care, community, mental health and prison healthcare.
We’re big enough to generate robust data, but small enough to innovate quickly and “fail fast”, testing solutions on a manageable scale before expanding further. We have the infrastructure and policy alignment of the NHS, but with the agility to adapt swiftly across all specialities in the sector.
Businesses from as far as Singapore are already using the island to test and refine solutions before scaling globally. For entrepreneurial organisations, this is a rare opportunity to gain traction, gather evidence and showcase impact in a real-world setting.
From challenge to opportunity
Technology is the lever to drive efficiency, improve care, and create a sustainable working environment. This year’s Innovation Challenge is our call to action, investing in better services to ease long-term pressures and unlock new possibilities.
Emerging from our workshop earlier in the year, the 2026 Challenge will focus on solutions across three themes:
• Working Smarter: Transforming healthcare operations to boost capacity, enhance experiences, and deliver better outcomes.
• Wellness: Shifting from reactive care to proactive prevention through self-care, early intervention, and community support.
• Home First: Providing personalised, high-quality care outside hospitals, integrated into daily life.
These goals reflect daily realities – social care assessments that take weeks and untapped data that could boost quality and performance. Even basic insights, feeding into population health data, are desperately valuable if we break silos and invest in digital maturity.
A call to action
2026 marks the fifth and final year of the current Island Plan, which prioritises digitisation. Coupled with the government’s efficiency programme targeting £50 million in savings over five years, momentum for change is clear.
This is more than a challenge—it’s an invitation. We’re opening our doors to global innovators to help shape the future of care on the Isle of Man. It’s a broader story about modernising public services for everyone on the island. By opening our doors to new ideas and global expertise, we’re demonstrating what’s possible when a system chooses to own its future.
