Health boss and Chief Nurse in Jersey to step down

Friday 17 March 2023

The Director General of Health in Jersey and the island's Chief Nurse will be stepping down at the end of the month, it has been confirmed.

The government said in a statement issued yesterday afternoon that Caroline Landon and Rose Naylor had advised the Health Minister, Deputy Karen Wilson, that they will be leaving their roles on 31 March 2023.

"The Minister in respecting each individual decision has expressed her thanks to both the Chief Officer and Chief Nurse for their respective service to health and community services in Jersey over many years," the statement read.

"As this announcement relates to individual employment matters, no further comments will be made until interim arrangements, which will be put in place in time for the departures, are made."

The Head of the Public Sector and Government CEO, Suzanne Wylie said: "The roles of Chief Officer and Chief Nurse come with substantial responsibility.

"Caroline, in her role as Chief Officer, navigated Health and Community Services through unprecedented challenges arising from the global Covid-19 pandemic and more recently the major incidents affecting our island.

"Rose, in her role as Chief Nurse, has provided professional leadership to nurses across the health system in Jersey, overseeing the expansion of the nursing education provision, including on-island degrees and qualifications. This contribution changed career prospects of local students for the better, and this will be her legacy across 18 years of public service."

Mrs Wylie added: "Islanders can be assured of service continuity which will now be the focus of the Executive Team supported by the turnaround team who are working alongside officers to continue to change the service for the better and deliver the recommendations of the Hugo Mascie-Taylor report.

"That work continues with the focus being on providing high quality services for Islanders in an affordable way."

The announcement follows Mrs Wylie's statement last week that some bullying allegations against senior Health Department officials are to be investigated further following an independent review.

Last October, an anonymous letter was sent to senior politicians, civil servants and the island's media which made a number of serious claims about the running of the Hospital and the department.

The letter said that morale in the department had been destroyed by the alleged bullying culture, and that the Hospital was "literally on the point of collapse".

The allegations prompted Government Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie to commission a review into the alleged bullying and misconduct.

That review was completed in January, and Mrs Wylie has said that, while some of the claims should be dismissed, others a "small number of allegations" may "warrant further consideration".

"The Government of Jersey has notified involved or potentially involved individuals accordingly," she added.