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Ensuring staff are listened to and valued will be a driving force behind a much-needed cultural turnaround within the Health Department, the new interim Chief Officer has said.
Allegations of bullying, cronyism and poor senior governance have plagued the department for a number of years – with several key reports documenting a catalogue of failings.
Earlier this month, director general for health Caroline Landon and chief nurse Rose Naylor both unexpectedly resigned at short notice amid further allegations of major cultural problems within the department.
Pictured: Chief Nurse Rose Naylor and Chief Officer of Health and Community Services Caroline Landon both finished their roles this week.
Chris Bown, who was initially brought to the Island as part of a ‘change team’ to tackle some of the problems highlighted in those reports, has since been appointed on a temporary 12-month basis as Chief Officer to replace Ms Landon.
And, while he admitted that it would take more than a year to fully address the deep-routed cultural problems within Health, Mr Bown said that his priority is to put the department in the “right direction”.
“There is clearly a need to improve the culture of the organisation – that is well known,” he said.
“The need to ensure that staff are listened to, that they feel valued and engaged is important because we know – and there is plenty of evidence which suggests this – that poor morale has a negative impact on patient care and it is therefore critical that we improve the culture of our organisation.”
He added that “morale needs to improve” and that “Jersey has been subject to a number of critical reports [and] those issues have to be addressed”.
Last year, a report by Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor made a string of findings regarding the running of the Health Department and made 61 recommendations for improvements.
Mr Bown added: “The reason I am happy to be interim Chief Officer for the next 12 months is to get HCS pointing in a the right direction.
“Transformation into something better is not a one year thing. Culture change takes time and turning around an organisation doesn't happen overnight.”
Pictured: Health Minister, Deputy Karen Wilson,
Health Minister Karen Wilson admitted that her department is in a "period of reset" but said that Mr Bown’s appointment "strengthens the leadership arrangements".
She said: “Following the announcements that the chief officer and chief nurse informed us of their decision to resign from their posts, we needed to make some pretty quick decisions about how to ensure continuity across the organisation and across the service.
"What I was pleased about is that we were able to draw upon the talent and experience of someone available in the turnaround team to step in on a temporary basis while we went to a permanent recruitment.”
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Culture Shift: Toxic Workplace Culture: The Hidden Epidemic within the NHS 12 Sept 2022: The NHS state that their Freedom to Speak Up Guardians are the solution. But allegations coming out from staff on the ground say that the guardians are “nothing but a box-ticking exercise”.
Time and time again, nurses and other healthcare staff have bravely come forward stating they’re too afraid to speak up in their workplace because: ‘The current system for raising concerns could lead to further issues for those who complain, as those individuals who conduct the investigations within the department are ‘generally involved’ in the cause of the complaint’.
With nearly one in three healthcare workers afraid to report their boss for bullying due to fear of repercussions, the case for anonymous reporting is clear. That’s why at Culture Shift we truly believe in the power and importance of anonymous reporting as a vital first step for many victims who will never find the courage to let you know what has happened any other way. It’s time to recognise the difference between ‘ticking a box’, and doing something that actually makes a difference and makes the NHS a better place to work for all of its people.
The Independent 2018: It is also clear that staff trying to work while being bullied are more prone to making mistakes. There is a wealth of research, including Sir Robert Francis’s 2015 report on Mid Staffordshire, that shows the impact of bullying on patient care.
Employers need to stop waiting for individuals to raise grievances, leave or go sick. There must be honest reflection on leadership behaviours that permit, encourage or collude in bullying, and a willingness from leaders to tackle bullying by managers and professionals.
Holding managers and staff to account for their standards of behaviour can radically reduce bullying. Chris Brown - how will you hold the remaining senior bullies to account? Most of them have PhDs in bullying from the worst of the UK trusts, true veterans. Are you going to re-paint the prolific bullies/ wolves into friendly sheep? Will anyone trust it? Can old dogs learn new tricks? Sacking the two ladies might make the trick but there are at least a few other senior directors heavily involved in the institutionalisation of bullying and reinforcement of fear and omerta among the employees. Nobody is going to feel safe seeing them around.
The writer of the anonymous letter in October, which started the tumbling of the dominoes gave clear and verifiable examples of what was happening, which has resulted in an ongoing investigation. The anonymous "highly placed sources" in the civil service need to provide the same evidence, if they are to be believed. Meanwhile, the politicians who started all this mess and then protected the culprits they recruited, need to be taken to task as well.