Health Chief retires to focus on care of parents

Tuesday 05 June 2018

Health and Social Services Chief Officer Julie Garbutt is to step down in September to spend more time looking after her parents as they move into residential and dementia care.

In a letter to staff, Mrs Garbutt told her colleagues that the decision not to take up the role of Director General for Health and Community Services – a new post under States CEO Charlie Parker’s reformed government – had been reached “after much consideration.”

She said that she had already wished to retire on her 60^thbirthday to “pursue work-related and personal interests” and felt unable to commit to a further five years under Charlie Parker’s new regime.

She added: “I have elderly parents in the UK and, over the last year or so, they have grown increasingly frail. As their only surviving child, I need to have the ability to react swiftly to changes in their circumstances and visit for more extended periods and at short notice and it simply isn’t possible to do this whilst in a full time, senior leadership position.”

She will officially leave her position in September, but has been granted annual leave to, “...support Mum and Dad’s move into residential and dementia care” and, as such, will have her final day in the office on 16 July.

Pictured: Mrs Garbutt said that she would not be able to commit to a further five years under new States CEO Charlie Parker's regime.

In her parting words, she acknowledged that Health and Social Services are “complex and challenging to deliver safely for a small island community” and that “much remains to be done.”

She nonetheless thanked her colleagues for what had been achieved so far to “both improve our current services and develop new services within the context of our transformation plan.”

“It has been an immense pleasure and privilege to have had this opportunity to work with you during this time. I know that each and every one of you goes “above and beyond” to ensure that our patients and clients get the care and treatment they deserve and I want to finish this note by thanking you for that service.”

Details on handover arrangements and Mrs Garbutt’s successor are still yet to be revealed.