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A backbench politician is pushing for recruitment freeze within the Public Health team and demanded the government produce a full business case to justify a nine-fold increase in employees within five years.
Deputy Andy Howell, a member of the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel, has set out the requirement to put recruitment on hold in an amendment to the Government Plan for 2024-27, which is set to be debated next month.
In the report accompanying her amendment, Deputy Howell outlines the growth of the Public Health team, which is headed by Professor Peter Bradley, from seven full-time positions in 2019 to 51.5 this year, as well as a government proposal for a further increase to 61 for 2024.
While acknowledging that posts have been transferred into Public Health from several other areas, and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, Deputy Howell has questioned the sustainability of some funding elements.
"Overall, there is a lack of cohesive whole," she stated.
Pictured: Deputy Andy Howell.
"This amendment does not seek to take funding from the Public Health function. It merely seeks some clarity about the business case for the function as a whole – and transparency and scrutiny of both the aims of the function and the number of [staff] required."
In a report explaining her proposal, Deputy Howell outlined the proposed make-up of the Public Health team for 2024, in terms of full-time employees, as follows:
It's not the first time that Government expansion has come under scrutiny.
Overall headcount has increased by more than 1,000 in the past five years. Local health campaigners have repeatedly drawn attention to the number of non-clinical staff in Health and in March, a response to a request under the Freedom of Information Law showed that “management staffing” within Health and Community Services accounted for nearly 6% of the Department’s annual budget. The annual bill for managers now stands at £10.1m, having shot up by more than £3.5m since 2019.
However, a Government report published by Health's Interim Chief Officer last month aimed to put a stop to suggestions that there are "too many" management staff.
The proposed Public Health recruitment freeze was put forward by Deputy Howell in the same week as Health Minister Karen Wilson defended a new Health Advisory Board in the wake of strong criticism about its cost – and the decision to extend the appointment of its Interim Chair, who has already earned more than £250,000 in the past 12 months at a daily rate of £1,440.
After former Assistant Chief Minister Andy Jehan cited the “indefensible misuse of taxpayers money” spent on the Health Advisory Board as a key factor in his decision to resign from government, Deputy Wilson told Express yesterday that she believed the board would bring about improvements to the health service.
Deputy Wilson said: “The noise and controversy we’ve heard comes from the same voices, but the feedback I have had has been hugely positive. “The board is made up of pretty eminent people who know the business of healthcare and bring experience and energy – I have no doubt that this will lead to much better outcomes.”
The Health Minister, who said she felt fully supported by colleagues in the Council of Ministers, cited several areas in which improvements had already been achieved. These, she said, included the recruitment of more than 100 clinicians, the reduction of waiting times for MRI scans – due to have fallen from 52 weeks to six by the end of this year – and realising £3 million in financial efficiencies.
Deputy Wilson has also confirmed that board Chair Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor will remain in his post for a further month while a permanent chair is recruited.
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Pictured top: Professor Peter Bradley leads the Public Health Department.
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