Five independent experts have been engaged as part of a Change Team to help deliver assurances as to the quality and safety of care delivered to Islanders, and to support the development of a positive working culture in the Health and Community Services Department.
The Change Team have been engaged until the end of 2023.
The appointments have been confirmed by the Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Karen Wilson.
Chris Bown (pictured), Beverley Edgar, Cathy Stone, Obi Hasan and Professor Simon Mackenzie have now been appointed to the Change Team being established by Deputy Karen Wilson in response to the 2022 Report into clinical governance arrangements within Health and Community Services.
In response to the Report, the Minister for Health and Social Services published a plan for turnaround and transformation of Health and Community Services, which included a commitment to provide additional expertise to support and drive the turnaround required. The formation of the Change Team is one of the measures which Deputy Wilson has now put in place.
Deputy Wilson (pictured) said: “Islanders are aware of my plans for improving the Health and Community Services Department which are far reaching and include providing additional resources and expertise, to work alongside the HCS teams, and to deliver a multifaceted change programme which addresses the deep-rooted cultural issues and ensures the provision of high quality, safe, patient-centred care.”
Last week, as part of this change, the new role of an independent Freedom To Speak Up Guardian was announced for Health and Community Services. Line management arrangements for the Guardian will be outside of HCS and through the Assistant CEO of the Government of Jersey, and will account to the health board.
Independent non-executive roles with the new Health Board will be recruited to in the coming months and advertised locally, with the intention of fully establishing the board as soon as possible.
Deputy Wilson added: “Having received the report from the Comptroller and Auditor General on Deployment of Staff Resources in Health and Community Services, published earlier this week, this report is welcomed. It confirms the need for many of the actions which we, the department, with the assistance of the Change Team will now act on. We will do this as part of our Change Programme to ensure that we provide good quality healthcare to Islanders.
“This turnaround plan improving health services for tax-paying Islanders will require expertise, staff engagement and leadership at all levels to deliver better care outcomes and I am committed to ensuring the new Health Board, the Change Team and all of HCS do this.”
Chris Bown will be leading the Change Team. Chris is a health professional with over 35-years’ experience in senior board level leadership roles, the last 17 years at a senior level, including time spent in the Health Service in the Bahamas. Chris has practical experience in leading organisations through significant change and service transformation to deliver improvements for patients.
Beverley Edgar is a highly experienced Human Resources Director, working at Executive Director level since 2008.
Professor Simon Mackenzie joins the team as the clinical lead. He has extensive experience in clinical leadership positions, and almost 40 years working in healthcare as a clinician, executive and non-executive.
Cathy Stone comes from the Isle of Wight and has 16 years of clinical experience as a nurse and midwife working at Chief Nurse level, as well as more recently as a Clinical Director/CEO level in a Hospice environment.
Obi Hasan has extensive experience of leading large scale and complex transformation programmes and financial improvement programmes as Programme Director. He has over 20 years’ board-level experience in health services, public and private healthcare, and other private sector industries.
Deputy Wilson added: “Chris will lead the Change Team during the next 12 months. Beverley, an expert in organisational development, will help drive the cultural change needed to ensure that HCS staff feel valued and able to do their best work. Simon brings with him a wealth of clinical leadership experience in hospitals and national organisations. Cathy brings years of professional nursing experience and Obi provides financial and transformation expertise.
“The additional capacity, skills and knowledge of the Change Team will supplement those skills which already exist within Health and Community Services. I would like to welcome Chris, Beverley, Cathy, Obi and Simon. This is a significant investment to assist the much needed change and turnaround required on the longstanding issues which Islanders are aware of in the Health department. ”
