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Changes at the hospital following a critical report which identified a ‘Jersey Way’ and some senior staff enjoying “undue influence” will be “wide ranging and delivered at pace”, according to the Health Minister.
This morning, Deputy Karen Wilson announced the first stage of her plan to implement the 61 recommendations made by independent clinician Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor, who was asked by Health Director General Caroline Landon last year to review ‘clinical governance’ in Jersey.
Based on interviews with more than 70 staff, Prof Mascie-Taylor’s report, published at the end of August, claimed that bullying, a “bias against standardisation” and “vested interests” were dominant in the health service.
He also identified poor processes and understanding of roles, and an apparent lack of accountability for senior staff.
His report also spoke of a tendency to “over-rely individual competence, personal autonomy and goodwill to ensure patients are kept safe” and a culture of the “heroic individual rather than the effective team” in Jersey, which he said he had not “encountered anywhere else in the world”.
Together, these issues could put patients at risk, Prof Mascie-Taylor concluded.
Just over a month on from the report’s publication, Deputy Wilson has launched a ‘plan for turnaround and transformation’.
She said: “This plan is developed in direct response to what HCS staff told Professor Mascie-Taylor about the things which need to improve.
“The report made clear that, despite the hard work of staff, HCS’s clinical governance is poor and therefore Jersey does not know if it receives the standards of healthcare it deserves.”
She added: “I know from feedback received that our staff want to do their best for Islanders, but they need our support to deliver high quality patient care. Some of them have clearly told us that they see the publication of Professor Mascie-Taylor’s £85,250 report as an opportunity for change, but others need to be convinced that we will act on the report.
“Transformation is successful when patients and staff are involved in shaping services and this plan shows our commitment to improvement and how we will support our teams to deliver patient focussed change.”
As previously stated, one of the most significant changes proposed is the formation of a Health Board, which will “provide independent assurance […] on the quality and performance of the health system.
The board’s chair will be appointed for 12 months, initially to recruit non-executive members and determine the way it will work.
Deputy Wilson will also “work with staff to appoint a ‘Freedom to Speak Up Guardian’ and strengthen the leadership of patient safety to drive rapid improvement and focus.”
The initial plan also includes:
Deputy Wilson said: “For most clinicians and practitioners in Health, the quality of patient care, especially patient safety, is uppermost and I am mindful that many patients enjoy positive health outcomes and interactions with healthcare professionals every day.
“However, the report provided evidence that we must go further to raise standards of quality and safety so that all islanders can expect a standard of care and service that can be found in most modern health systems across the world.
“This can only be achieved through changing many aspects of the service, the standards it works to and its accountability to the public, supported by the participation and engagement of patients and staff.”
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