Former Jersey Health boss got £60k golden handshake

Friday 03 May 2024

The former leader of Jersey’s health service received an exit payment of £60,000 to £65,000 as she abruptly departed last year, it has emerged.

Ex-Director General Caroline Landon’s payment for “loss of office” was revealed in the States Annual Report and Accounts for 2023, which were published without prior announcement today, and revealed that exit payments across the organisation totalled more than half-a-million.

Ms Landon exited the top Health role just two weeks after her departure was announced, alongside that of Chief Nurse Rose Naylor, in March 2023.

It came in the months following an expert report highlighting systemic issues and alleging a ‘Jersey Way’ within Health and the CEO investigating allegations of departmental bullying, and preceded a damning review which found hundreds of rheumatology patients had been wrongly prescribed powerful drugs.

It also came as Health faced increasing scrutiny over its budget management, which saw the Treasury Minister read the “riot act” to the department, and a ‘turnaround team’ parachuted in to help resolve its financial woes.

At the time, the Government declined to comment on the reasons or negotiations surrounding the departure of one of its highest paid civil servants, whose total pay and benefits last year amounted to between £230,000 and £245,000, but her exit figure was revealed as the States Accounts were published today.

They showed that a total of £508,906 was spent on “exit packages” for 45 people.

Around half of this total related to settlements for “loss of office” for half-a-dozen staff, while £84,650.51 was sent on compulsory and voluntary redundancy payments for 22 people. 

Pictured: The total exit payments made in 2023.

A total of £198,690.37 was given to 17 people for “other reasons”. The accounts stated that these included “conciliation payments, notice and contractual annual leave payments”.

“The average payment in 2023 was £11,309 compared to £27,300 in 2022. These payments were for compulsory and voluntary redundancy and loss of office,” the accounts said.

“…An increase in compulsory / voluntary redundancies relates to the ceasing of COVID pandemic staffing. These roles were made compulsory redundant as the pandemic emergency work ceased, and statutory and contractual redundancy rights applied.”

There was no voluntary release scheme during 2023 – something which had occurred in previous years.

It comes amid ongoing discussions about the size of the public sector workforce, and in particular the volume of staff in non-frontline service positions.

Speaking to Express separately on the topic of recent pay increases across the public sector, Assistant Minister and Vice Chair of the States Employment Board, Malcolm Ferey, this morning confirmed that vacancy management was going to be a key area of focus.

"We’ve got provision to cover future pay increases, but we will need to look at vacancy management in non-frontline services. If a vacancy comes up because someone has left/retired and it’s not a frontline service, then we will look at how we manage re-recruiting and consider whether we need that role."

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