Interim health officer to step in due to sickness

Cabinet officer Tom Walker will move from his current role

A new interim chief officer is set to take over Jersey's health department due to the existing officer being unwell.

The government said its temporary Chief Officer for Health and Community Services, Chris Bown, was due to undergo a medical procedure in October and that it was unknown if he would be fit enough to return before his contract expired in March.

Cabinet officer Tom Walker will move from his current role, with support from Mr Bown, working on proposed new arrangements to "support integrated working" across the health and care system in Jersey.

Deputy Tom Binet, Minister for Health and Social Services, thanked Mr Bown for his work "particularly on the necessary turnaround as we focus on the overall structure of the island’s health and care system".

The government said it would be advertising "shortly" for an interim chief officer to take over and that it would be open to government colleagues and its "network of arm’s length organisations".