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An investigation into claims of bullying at the hospital made in an anonymous letter shared with media, senior civil servants and politicians cost nearly £50,000, it has emerged.
First shared with Express and other parties on 3 October 2022, the letter made a number of serious claims about the running of the Hospital and the wider Health department.
The whistleblower claimed that morale in the department had been affected by the alleged bullying culture to the extent that the Hospital was “literally on the point of collapse”.
They included allegations of bullying of doctors and the appointment of “incompetent” specialists. The letter writer said that all the examples could be supported by “extensive written evidence in the form of many emails and committee minutes."
Pictured: Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor's report put forward 61 recommendations for improvement.
The letter came just months after bullying, “vested interests” and an apparent ‘Jersey Way’ within Health were identified by Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the service. He said all of these factors posed a threat to patient safety.
A probe was initiated soon after by former Government CEO Suzanne Wylie, and an independent expert was appointed to “objectively conduct an initial review”.
By January, that work concluded. Officials confirmed that the report found “a small number of allegations… may warrant further investigation”, while it was recommended that some should be dismissed “as no evidence was found whatsoever”, while others were found to have already been dealt with under Government and HCS processes.
Six months later, and following the sudden departure of the department’s Director General and Chief Nurse, the Government told Express that it was still taking action to resolve outstanding matters relating to the content of the letter.
Pictured: Former Government CEO Suzanne Wylie commissioned a review following the allegations raised in the anonymous letter.
It’s now emerged following a request made under the Freedom of Information Law that it took a total of 16 months for all enquiries in relation to the letter to be completed. Final investigations were concluded by 9 February 2024.
And the cost to taxpayers of the overall investigation has also been revealed: £45,978.70.
The exact outcome of the investigation – and whether it prompted any departures or disciplinary action – has never been made public.
Following previous requests for more information, officials maintained that it was an internal matter.
The Government declined to make the independent report public – even in redacted form – because it contains confidential information and could “breach data protection obligations”.
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