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After the government was accused of being “disingenuous” in its communications about the shock resignation of CEO Suzanne Wylie, the Chief Minister has apologised for being “unclear” in her comments… but who knew what and when?
Express explores the sequence of events — now updated with the information revealed when the government released Mrs Wylie's resignation letter and the Chief Minister's response...
Suzanne Wylie’s appointment as Chief Executive is announced by the Government of Jersey after Express reveals she is the front-runner for the £250,000-a-year role.
Mrs Wylie officially takes on the CEO role on 1 February 2022, beating off competition from more than 70 candidates to become Jersey's first female Chief Minister.
Deputy Kristina Moore beat Deputy Sam Mézec to become Jersey's first female Chief Minister-designate, with 39 votes in her favour.
She secured the leading political role on 5 July 2022, after an hour-long grilling by States Members during which she outlined her 100-day plan.
Mrs Wylie commissioned a review into allegations of bullying at the General Hospital in October 2022 after an anonymous letter claimed that bullying, collusion and mismanagement "brought out hospital to its knees and literally to the point of complete collapse."
The letter included allegations of bullying of doctors and the appointment of “incompetent” specialists.
Mrs Wylie found herself leading the creation of the new Cabinet Office — one of the key tenets of the Chief Minister's '100-day plan' — which brought together the Office of the Chief Executive (OCE), the Chief Operating Office (COO), and Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance (SPPP) into a combined department with a new leadership team.
Pictured: The Cabinet Office was set up in a move to roll back the 'OneGov' reforms made under former Chief Executive Charlie Parker.
Mrs Wiley told Express: "Setting up a Cabinet Office is all about providing that right level of support to Ministers, and helping them to make decisions improving governance. It's also about ensuring that… services work more effectively together, and we're much more joined up, so things that fall across different departments actually get delivered and solved."
The review into allegations of bullying at the General Hospital was completed in January, however Mrs Wylie says that "the report will not be published as it is not appropriate to provide further details that would contain confidential information and breach date protection obligations".
Northern Irish Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Ann McGregor announces she is stepping down.
The Chief Executive of @NIChamber, Ann McGregor has announced that she is stepping down later this year, after almost 15 years at the helm.https://t.co/AMlhGVc7up pic.twitter.com/8njjywXUUV
— NIChamberofCommerce #heretohelp (@NIChamber) January 10, 2023
Mrs Wylie appears before the Public Accounts Committee and says that her KPIs have not been finalised, in spite of her having been in post for a year.
At the hearing on 1 February, she said: "All ministers have made it really clear what their expectations are from me in terms of running the public services, but also in terms of delivering on the priorities they set.
“In terms of tracking that to KPIs, that is still a work in progress and will be completed by the end of this month.”
In an interview with the JEP on 11 February, Mrs Wylie said: "We, as a family, have established ourselves here. My kids come and go from here and my husband is here, retired with the two big dogs. This is where family life rotates around."
Following the completion of the Hospital bullying review in January, Mrs Wylie releases a statement saying that, while some of the claims should be dismissed, there are "a small number of allegations which may warrant further consideration".
Pictured: In October 2022, Suzanne Wylie commissioned a review into allegations of bullying at the Hospital, which was completed in January.
She added: "The Government of Jersey has notified involved or potentially involved individuals accordingly."
A crumpled photocopy of Mrs Wylie's resignation letter was released on 28 March by Government — following requests made last week by Express and the JEP — alongside the Chief Minister's acceptance note, which was penned nine days later, and 24 hours after the public were told.
In the resignation letter, which was handed to the Chief Minister after a Council of Ministers meeting on 14 March, Mrs Wylie said that she was leaving with "much regret and genuine sadness".
Later, she adds: "There is much political debate on the role of the CEO and my departure will also open the opportunity to assess if it should be changed and to what degree.
"I appreciate that the search will need to start now for my replacement, and I assure you that I will do all I can to support a new CEO coming into post."
CLICK TO READ: Suzanne Wylie's resignation letter, dated 14 March.
Chief Minister Kristina Moore had previously stated that she was only able to confirm Mrs Wylie's departure officially once she received confirmation in writing.
However earlier this week in a video statement, Deputy Moore confirmed that she had in fact received Mrs Wylie's letter of resignation on 14 March ahead of the formal announcement on 22 March — which she described as "a point which I should have made clear last week".
The Chief Minister also confirmed in the video statement that that she had "informed the Deputy Chief Minister of the CEO’s resignation on 14 March".
On 16 March 2023, it was announced that the Director General of Health and the island's Chief Nurse will step down at the end of the month.
The government issued a statement confirming that Caroline Landon and Rose Naylor had advised the Health Minister, Deputy Karen Wilson, that they will be leaving their roles on 31 March 2023.
Monday 20 March 2023 - CEO's blog
Mrs Wylie's CEO's blog — sent to all government employees — has no reference to her pending resignation and instead chatters on merrily about hobbies and recognising hardworking colleagues.
Video: Deputy Chief Minister - who knew about Mrs Wylie's departure at the time - made a joke on the topic of resignations in last week's States Assembly meeting.
In the States Assembly on the 21 March, Deputy Chief Minister Kirsten Morel – who was standing in for the Chief Minister after she was forced to leave the Chamber – told Members that he was not aware of any future further resignations following the departures of two senior Health staff.
Following a discussion about the Health resignations and the States Employment Board, Deputy Farnham asked the Deputy Chief Minister "if he was aware of any possible future resignations that we could expect".
In reply, Deputy Morel joked that "apart from my own, depending on the performance of this particular question time, I am not aware of any".
The Chief Minister had previously stated that Deputy Morel had not been aware of Mrs Wylie's resignation at this point, but this week admitted that he had in fact been informed a week earlier.
Deputy Moore attempted to defend Deputy Morel's comment, saying: "The Deputy Chief Minister clearly understood that a question on resignations concerned the health department."
"I should have clarified this earlier and my public comment on this matter was unclear, and I apologise," she added.
The government officially confirms Suzanne Wylie's resignation, saying that she would be “returning to the city [Belfast] to take on a new opportunity that allows her to be closer to her family.”
The Chief Minister had originally said that the government had been unable to officially confirm Mrs Wylie's resignation until the CEO had formalised her intentions in writing.
However, it was later revealed that Deputy Moore had received Mrs Wylie's letter of resignation on 14 March — over a week before the formal announcement.
23 March 2023 - Chief Minister replies to CEO's resignation letter
The Chief Minister's acceptance note is dated nine days after Mrs Wylie's resignation letter, and 24 hours after the public were told.
Pictured: The Chief Minister only replied to the resignation letter nine days after it was received — and 24 hours after the public were made aware.
"I understand that this has been a difficult and personal decision for you, and I will respect your decision as you return to Belfast," Deputy Moore said in her response.
That letter goes on to reveal that Mrs Wylie, who has a contractual notice period of six months, had asked to bring forward her departure date.
Responding to the request, Deputy Moore said: "May I suggest we agree that you continue in your role until 30 June and, with outstanding leave to be taken in July, with remaining days in July being available for any urgent or handover items as the interim Chief Executive settles in. This would make your last day of service 31 July."
A war of words broke out between the Chief Minister and Infrastructure Minister after the latter accused the government of being "disingenuous" over the reasons for Mrs Wylie's resignation.
In an interview on Saturday 25 March, Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet broke ministerial ranks to describe a "tense atmosphere" within Broad Street, where he said Mrs Wylie needed greater support and a happier working environment.
Pictured: Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet described a "tense atmosphere" in Broad Street.
Deputy Binet added that it was "disingenuous to expect the public to believe the story that she is going back to be closer to family".
"Clearly, she had committed herself to the Island for the foreseeable future," he added.
"I don’t share in the Chief Minister’s view that we should see this as an opportunity. Rather, we should view this as an own goal and a lost opportunity to build on 12 months’ knowledge and good work."
In a video statement released on Monday, the Chief Minister apologised for making "unclear" comments about the shock departure of CEO Suzanne Wylie — clarifying that she had received Mrs Wylie's resignation letter on 14 March 2023, and also informed the Deputy Chief Minister the same day.
A video statement from @ChiefMinJSY, Deputy Kristina Moore on the resignation of Suzanne Wylie, CEO, Government of Jersey.
— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) March 27, 2023
Watch here: https://t.co/Go6mphWhEa
The Chief Minister's statement also confirmed that plans are underway to "redefine the role of Chief Executive", which Mrs Wylie is involved in, and recruitment will begin following this.
Mrs Wylie has never made public comment on the reasons for her departure.
Follow Express for updates...
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