The Government has confirmed there are “no immediate plans” to recruit a permanent Health Chief Officer – ten months after stating that the role would be advertised “shortly”.
Chris Bown, who was appointed to the position on a 12-month contract in April 2024, stepped down in October of that year to undergo a “medical procedure”.
At the time, officials said he would continue to provide “strategic advice” to the department if well enough to do so before the end of his contract in March 2025.
Despite stepping down from the top job after six months, Mr Bown was expected to be paid the full value of his contract, worth £294,765.
Tom Walker, the Government’s Assistant CEO and then-Chief Officer for People, Policy and Digital, took over as Interim Chief Officer for Health following Mr Bown’s departure.
In September 2024, the Government said it would “shortly” begin the process of recruiting a successor.
However, in response to recent questions from Express, a Government spokesperson confirmed that Mr Walker remains in post and that there are currently “no immediate plans to undertake a recruitment exercise”.
He is not described as “acting” or “interim” on the government’s public organisation chart.
Mr Bown returned to work in December 2024 following a “period of medical leave”, and was tasked with “some specific work areas to focus on for the period until the end of his contract in March 2025”.
It was recently confirmed that he has taken up a new role in the UK, having been appointed interim Executive Managing Director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn as part of a wider restructuring of Norfolk’s three main hospital trusts.
Mr Walker continues to lead Health and Care Jersey on an interim basis, but concerns have been raised about the lack of medical expertise in the top echelons of the Health Department.
Deputy Inna Gardiner, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee, the scrutiny panel which assesses whether public funds have been used effectively, also raised concerns about the fact that many senior roles in Government are currently filled with interim post-holders, including a CEO on a rolling six-month contract.
“How can we ensure stability, forward planning, and a strategic vision?” she asked.