Health boss put second ex-colleague forward for interim contract

Wednesday 26 June 2019

Details of a £42,000 six-month contract handed to another former colleague of the Health Director – whom she recommended for the job before she was even in post – have emerged.

Andrew Carter was put forward for the £350-a-day role by his ex-colleague Caroline Landon, the now Director General for Health in Jersey, and was appointed without competition.

But Mr Carter isn't the only recent interim recruit to have had a previous working relationship with Ms Landon.

Details of his appointment only came to light after Express revealed that Senior Nurse Charlotte Hall - the Health boss' former colleague of a decade - was the only candidate to be considered for a 12-week contract worth £45,000.

Pictured: Details of a similar contract handed to one of Ms Landon's former colleagues have emerged.

Mr Carter and Ms Landon previously worked together at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

He was not hired directly by Ms Landon, but instead by the now-departed Interim Health Modernisation Director following the suggestion of Ms Landon before she officially took up her current post.

However, the Government say that - beyond this – Ms Landon was “not involved in the recruitment process.”

Mr Carter’s day-rate of £350 falls just £30 shy of the threshold required for the States Employment Board (SEB) – a panel of politicians who oversee public sector staffing matters – to have to sign off the appointment. 

Pictured: The appointment was £30 shy of needing SEB approval.

A government spokesperson explained that, as this SEB approval was not required, “the appointment was undertaken by the Director for Health Modernisation and the HR Director with approval from the accountable officer, as the appointment took place prior to the Director General commencing in post.”

Express has sought clarification as to who exactly this “accountable officer” was, and is awaiting a response.

Mr Carter is working in Health under similar parameters to that of Ms Hall and, while here, he is tasked with the following duties, according to a government spokesperson:  

• “Developing a governance structure” for Health to “improve patient safety, quality standards and risk management;
• “Aligning, reporting and informatics to the governance structure to assist in decision making, risk management and operational quality and performance;
• “Project management in relation to secondary care.”

These responsibilities are directly to enact recommendations from Government watchdog the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) who published a damning report in which she said "robust action" was needed to cure Health's management of governance and risk.

Pictured: The department made the appointments to address concerns raised in the C&AG's report.

His work with the Government of Jersey began on 1 April of this year and he is contracted for six months until 30 September.

In addition to his £42,000 contract for six-months’ work, Mr Carter is entitled to claim two return flights between Jersey and the UK a month and accommodation as well as expenses.

Much like Ms Hall’s post as Senior Nurse, Mr Carter’s role was not advertised either locally or in the UK, nor was anyone else considered for the job.

Explaining why the post wasn’t advertised, a government spokesperson said: “The work being undertaken is not a post within our structure. The engagement is to undertake a specific piece of work and is time-limited and is in line with accepted recruitment practice."

Addressing the lack of competition Mr Carter faced for the role, they said that this was “due to the very specific skill set needed and ability and availability of the individual.”

Pictured: Ms Landon appointed her ex-colleague Ms Hall to a 12-week role worth £750 a day.

Meanwhile, the Government of Jersey has also confirmed that, since her appointment in May, Ms Hall has racked up an expenses bill of £1,571.10 for three return flights between Jersey and London as well as hotel accommodation.

The sharpened focus on consultancy appointments to this department – which also came up during a Scrutiny Hearing – have prompted the Health Minister to warn “the media, politicians and islanders” against “unfair” criticism of consultants as it could put other professionals off coming to work in Jersey.

The issue is also due for a debate in the States Assembly after Deputy Kirsten Morel put forward proposals that would oblige the Chief Minister to report back every six months on the Government's use of consultants.

Speaking to Express last week, the Chief Minister declined to state whether he would back the plan, stating that he had not yet had time to consider their implications in full.