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Three board members of the Connaught Care Home have not been reappointed to their roles, while it’s understood that a fourth has chosen not to remain on the Board.
The move to reshuffle the Board comes as the States of Alderney, with the help of the Island Medical Centre’s Will Pierce, work to develop an Integrated Healthcare Plan. It has been seen by some as an “opportunity to reset”.
Mr Pierce has since been appointed as a new board member alongside States Member Kevin Gentle. They join the only remaining board member who has stayed in post, Judy Craske.
“The Connaught is set to play an integral role in Alderney Care Board’s policy of Integrated Healthcare that will also include primary care, the hospital, ambulance and other services such as mental health provision and social prescribing (non-medical support),” said a spokesperson for the States.
Pictured: (Left to right) Mr Pierce and Mr Gentle.
The Board of the Connaught is appointed annually, three members were not re-appointed this year and one didn’t “return their form of willingness”.
The three who weren’t re-appointed are; Dr Nigel Roberts, Jo Jordan, and James Dent, while it’s understood that Barbara Benfield has since turned down the re-appointment to the role.
Speaking to Express, Dr Roberts said: "In Autumn of last year, 2023, I informed the previous Chair (Mrs Paris) of my intention to step down from the Connaught Board in late Spring or early Summer of 2024, thus giving the charity time to put a renewed Director recruitment process in place.
“The recent action by P&F just brings that forward by a few weeks for me. So it is perhaps has rather less effect for me than I am sure it has on the other four board members who have been removed. I trust the move to a non-independent governance model does not put the Connaught's charitable status into question."
The States of Alderney is the sole shareholder of the Connaught Care Home, and the island’s Policy and Finance Committee Chairman, Nigel Vooght, has published the following:
“The Health & Social Care Strategy, better known as collaborative healthcare, will provide a modern-day approach to providing all islanders with improved services and I am delighted to welcome the new Connaught directors.
“Working with the Alderney Care Board, a joint Guernsey-Alderney forum, this programme will see all aspects of Community Care harmonised under one umbrella. We are now working to deliver this strategic goal of an integrated care programme that will benefit everyone on the Island.
“We will be clear about this vision which PFC is convinced will deliver an enviable standard of health and social care involving all stakeholders working together collaboratively, and seek the views of the public and answer all questions fully.”
Mr Vooght also stressed that the Connaught Care Home is not for sale.
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