Assistant chief minister quits over health service

Andy Jehan has resigned from his ministerial post over "the indefensible misuse of taxpayers' money"

An assistant chief minister in Jersey has resigned over "severe concerns" with taxpayers' money being spent in the health service.

Constable Andy Jehan said high costs and a lack of communication with issues in the Health Department had finalised his decision to step down immediately.

He said he could not defend what he believed to be "the indefensible misuse of taxpayers' money" regarding more than £320,000 being spent on the Health and Community Services advisory board since November 2022 - which is still without a leader.

Chief Minister Kristina Moore said it was with "great regret and sadness" to accept Mr Jehan's resignation, and that she too shared concerns raised.

Mr Jehan said when he first saw issues with the advisory board regarding "severe concerns" over the planned process and "significant" cost of its interim chair in May, he had offered to resign.

He said he was persuaded to stay on, but "with hindsight, it was possibly not the right decision".

'Shocked and disappointed'

Between November 2022 and October 2023, Mr Jehan said the government had spent "in excess" of £250,000 to the interim chair of the board, and a further £73,000 on an independent recruitment agency tasked with recruitment to the board.

Mr Jehan said he was "shocked and disappointed" by the recent appointment of a fourth non-executive director to it, and a proposed extension to find a new interim chair.

He said "many" in the Council of Ministers were only informed of the decision on Thursday when the government issued a public press release.

Mr Jehan said the board had only met twice during the timeframe between November and October, and still no new candidate for chair had been found by Health Minister Karen Wilson.

"What reputational damage the failure to appoint such a high-calibre candidate does to us, only time will tell," he said.

'Hard to compromise'

Mr Jehan said he was "no longer invited" to updates with Chief Minister Moore and the former CEO Suzanne Wylie regarding the Turnaround team after he raised his concerns over the cost of the board.

He said: "Leadership is rarely easy. We often have to make decisions that are difficult, and my decision certainly falls into that category.

"However, leadership is also about authenticity, meaning you must do what you believe to be right.

"Having tried hard to compromise, I feel I have no option but to follow my instincts and stand up for what I believe is right, from both a personal and professional perspective."

Mr Jehan flagged other issues in the health service - including the decision to delay the debate on assisted dying by a minimum of six months, and the "reluctance" of the health minister to publicly endorse plans for new hospital facilities.

He also said there was a lack of "any coherent health strategy to provide strategic direction in this vital area".

Chief Minister Kristina Moore said Mr Jehan's resignation was a "loss to the government"

Ms Moore said she and Mr Jehan had a "collective determination to deliver improvements that are necessary", and she regretted they had "arrived at a position where your resignation on this matter has been required".

She said: "I am very much aware of the concerns you hold regarding the performance of our health service over recent years, which I share.

"I respect that your decision to resign following the extension of the interim chair of the board is a matter of principle for you.

"Your resignation is a loss to the government. I very much hope that, in the months to come, we can continue to work together constructively on areas and issues where we share a focus and passion."

Mr Jehan said he was "disappointed to be leaving a great set of officers ... but, again, my decision has to rise above any personal feelings and or loyalty".

Analysis: Freddie Miller, BBC Jersey political reporter

Constable Jehan’s departure is undoubtedly a blow for Chief Minister Kristina Moore.

She is losing his political wisdom: in addition to his years of experience holding senior roles in the private sector, he was also one of just 10 members of Deputy Moore’s top team of 21 to have been a States member prior to the election last summer.

She is also losing a key ally on the States Employment Board, which, for most of the year, has been locked in negotiations with unions over teachers’ pay, terms and conditions.

While it would appear not to have been a factor in his decision to go, Constable Jehan’s resignation therefore creates further, big questions about the ongoing teachers’ pay row – at a time when unions have said they will ramp up their actions between now and the end of term.

It also reveals further disagreements amongst members of the Council of Ministers, which had already been highlighted through incidents including the resignation of Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie and the refusal by the assistant environment minister of a developer’s plans to build 230 homes and a hotel between Broad St and Commercial St – a decision publicly criticised by Deputy Moore.

In addition to all this, Constable Jehan’s departure raises yet more questions about the process and cost involved in establishing the health advisory board, about which politicians have already expressed a number of concerns.

Last December, the health minister denied that her decision to appoint Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor to a £1,440-a-day role leading the board, when she had encouraged him to apply for the role in the first place, had represented a conflict of interest.

Then, in a States Assembly debate in June, Constable Jehan and four other members of Deputy Moore’s top team voted against formally establishing the board, as some questioned its cost and expressed fears its existence would mean that the government’s political responsibility for the Health Department was weakened.

His departure alone is unlikely to put at risk Deputy Moore’s position as the island’s political leader.

But, if it leads to further resignations, or to more political pressure in relation to the health advisory board or the teachers’ pay row, the next few weeks could prove challenging for the chief minister.