Jersey’s former Health Chief Officer has landed a key role in the NHS as part of a major shake-up of Norfolk’s hospitals, after banking almost £300,000 for his time working in the island.
Chris Bown has been appointed as interim Executive Managing Director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn in Norfolk as part of the merger of the county’s three main hospitals.
It comes after Mr Bown’s 12-month contract as Jersey’s Health Chief Officer ended in March.
He was appointed to the role in April 2024, but stepped down on 3 October 2024 for a “medical procedure”.
Despite this, Mr Bown was still expected to be paid £294,765 for his full contract period of April 2024 to March 2025 inclusive.
Tom Walker – the Government’s Assistant CEO and then-Chief Officer for People, Policy and Digital – subsequently took over as interim Chief Officer for Health.
At the time, a statement said that Mr Bown would support Mr Walker “with strategic advice should he be fit enough to resume duties before his contract end date of March 2025″.
In September 2024, the Government said it would “shortly” be advertising for an interim Chief Officer to take over from Mr Walker.
It was later confirmed that Mr Bown returned to work in December 2024 following a “period of medical leave”.
According to the Health Minister, he was tasked with “some specific work areas to focus on for the period until the end of his contract in March 2025”.
These included consolidation of the use of off-island tertiary centres and UK health providers to help improve quality and value of services received; establishing a network of small island health and care service providers to enhance the exchange of solutions to increasing specialisation of care and rising costs; considering the further use of private insurance to support possible sustainable funding solutions for health and care; and providing advice and support to current Chief Officer Mr Walker.
