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What was the source of tension that led to the new Health Board Chair’s sudden departure? How much will another recruitment process cost taxpayers? And does the saga suggest politicians should leave it to the experts when it comes to Health?
Experienced health professional and business leader Tom Hayhoe, who was appointed as Chair of the department's Advisory Board in February, stepped down with immediate effect earlier this week "mutual agreement" with Health Minister Tom Binet.
Just last week, Mr Hayhoe had chaired a board meeting, and proposed regularly meeting community groups and charities and introducing "patient stories" to the start of every meeting.
Announcing Mr Hayhoe's departure, Deputy Binet said the decision was "mutually agreed" upon and added: "Tom Hayhoe will vacate the post with immediate effect and one of the other non-executive directors will chair the Board meetings on an interim basis.”
This, Deputy Binet said, was the result of "differences in working styles" and that the parting was handled "amicably" – but the former Chief and Health Ministers, and a former consultant, said that there were still many important questions left to answer...
Former Health Minister Deputy Karen Wilson said "the question on everybody's mind" was what had changed between Deputy Binet and Mr Hayhoe, and that she had "a lot of questions about what happened".
"I just don't understand it at all. If you've got available to you all of the advice and the resource to make an appointment and you go ahead and do it, clearly you have made that a confident bet. But what happened in the last four weeks to change that?"
Just last week, Tom Hayhoe had told Express of plans to engage more members of the community in efforts to improve the island's healthcare ⬇️https://t.co/qcf6gQhsmK
— Bailiwick Express (@bailiwickxpress) April 3, 2024
She added that having someone leave with immediate effect, as is the case for Mr Hayhoe, is rare.
The position is a ministerial appointment, she explained, meaning that, while the Jersey Appointments Commission was involved, the final decision came to the Health Minister.
"Clearly, the Minister made the decision to appoint this man. The question on everybody’s mind is: ‘so what’s changed?’."
The reason given by Deputy Binet for Mr Hayhoe's departure, a difference in working styles, was "a concern" to Deputy Wilson.
She added: "A health service is full of people with all sorts of styles. We have got to be able to work in that environment, embrace differences and listen to people."
Deputy Louise Doublet, who chairs the Health and Social Security Panel, also said that she would seeking more information around Mr Hayhoe’s departure.
Deputy Wilson added: "It is about time that we all know what this encounter, this bruising encounter, was about and why it happened the way that it has."
While Mr Hayhoe will not receive an exit payment, the recruitment process has already been costly – and there will be a cost to starting again, although Deputy Binet said he felt there was "no rush" to do so, and that
Former Chief Minister Kristina Moore, who oversaw the creation of the board and the first part of the chair's recruitment, said that "serious questions" need to be raised as to what happened.
She said: “I think some serious questions have to be asked to provide the public with greater insight as to why this has occurred and how much it will cost to go out to find a replacement for the chair role. It’s an expensive process.”
Deputy Wilson added that she was concerned about the lack of priority put on recruiting a replacement, commenting: "I am really concerned he is not going to be rushing into making further appointments, I don’t think people who are on the waiting list or affected by the rheumatology review will be pleased with that. "
Deputy Moore, who was ousted by Deputy Binet in a no-confidence vote, was in position during the early stages of recruitment that ultimately picked Mr Hayhoe.
She said: “The last time, we were told it was going to be difficult. Given the circumstances and what has been said, it is going to be a challenge to find an appropriately qualified and experienced person.”
Dr David Ng, a retired gastroentologist who worked at the hospital and met Mr Hayhoe during the past month, said the new Chair had made a good impression, describing him as "affable, principled and obviously very experienced".
He described being "shocked and surprised" by the news of his departure.
Dr Ng compared Mr Hayhoe's departure to the departure just over a year ago of Government Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie.
The island had lost "experienced and well respected people", he told Express, and Jersey's reputation could suffer after Mr Hayhoe's departure, as well as Suzanne Wylie's last year, describing the world of senior health leaders as "quite a small clique" where rumours would form.
Beyond this, he said he was concerned about politicians repeatedly getting involved – and going against experts – in a system as complex as Health, which he said was frustrating efforts to build a world-class system.
"Politicians should take a step back from it because they don't know how to manage healthcare and the Advisory Board will also be advising the Health Minister.
"We know what happens when politicians get involved. Look across the water: the NHS, how broken it is because the politicians have used it as a political football.
"We don't want that to happen in Jersey."
The level of political involvement in the board has always been a contentious issue.
When the HCS Advisory Board was formed, Deputy Binet had been vocal in favour of more political involvement in the board, telling the States Assembly: "We need to be mindful of the fact that Health is the largest operating budget by some margin and occupies probably the most important place in the minds of the public, so why not comprehensive political oversight here too, especially while the service remains in such poor shape and there are clear underlying intentions to make significant changes to the fundamental structure of our health service?"
Dr Ng said he was confident the Minister "recognises the importance of the board".
"He recognises the managers need to be held to account. Having the hospital board allows doctors to have the courage to speak out," Dr Ng said.
Health chair leaves after a month over "differences" with Minister
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New Health Chair to be paid third of £230k-a-year predecessor
'Interim' Health boss to stay until 2025
FOCUS: Why does Jersey need a new Health Board?
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