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The Chief Minister has expressed his "regret" for "any concern" caused by statements made following the departure of a senior consultant brought in to drive improvements in Jersey's Health service.
In the letter addressed to Professor Simon Mackenzie and made public this evening, Deputy Lyndon Farnham wrote: "The government has confidence in your professional integrity, and while there may have been some misunderstandings, there has been no intention to issue incorrect statements or affect your professional reputation."
Prof Mackenzie, who was part of a five-person “change team” set up in January 2023 after a damning report revealed concerns about management and working culture in the Health Department, confirmed his resignation in May 2024.
Pictured: The Chief Minister expressed his "regret" in a letter to Prof Mackenzie, which was made public this evening.
In a statement released at the time of Prof Mackenzie's departure, the Health Minister suggested that the professor had "used his resignation letter to claim he was not being personally supported".
"This is not an accurate reflection of the facts,” Deputy Binet added.
But the Chief Minister has now publicly confirmed that this was not the case.
In his letter to Prof Mackenzie, Deputy Farnham wrote: "At the time of your departure, I can confirm that you did not claim to be unsupported and did not mischaracterise your position."
Pictured: Health Minister Tom Binet previously suggested that Prof Mackenzie had "used his resignation letter to claim he was not being personally supported".
In a scrutiny hearing held two months after his departure, Prof Mackenzie delivered a damning post-mortem of his experience of working in Jersey's Health Department and criticised the standard of care.
He slammed the island's Health service as being in need of “fundamental change”.
“If people don’t believe there is a problem to be fixed, then they won’t fix it,” said Prof Mackenzie in July.
The consultant also criticised the standard of healthcare in Jersey as “generally lower than the standard I would expect to see in a similarly-sized hospital”.
“I have told both Health Ministers that, knowing what I know, if I were a Jersey resident I would choose to have my healthcare elsewhere,” he added.
You can read the letter from the Chief Minister to Professor Simon Mackenzie in full below:
Dear Professor Mackenzie,
Further to your discussions with my officials, I write to confirm certain matters.
You will likely be aware of recent announcements relating to senior staff changes in the Health Department, and separately, our wish to create a more integrated and seamless health care system delivering improved services.
The Island is grateful to all professionals who assist Jersey with the crucial work of improving our health care services. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your work, as a member of the change team engaged to deliver assurances as to the quality and safety of care.
I also wish to express regret for any concern caused by any statements made at the time of your departure. The government has confidence in your professional integrity, and while there may have been some misunderstandings, there has been no intention to issue incorrect statements or affect your professional reputation. At the time of your departure, I can confirm that you did not claim to be unsupported and did not mischaracterise your position.
I wish you well in your next endeavours.
Yours sincerely,
Deputy Lyndon Farnham
Chief Minister
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