Professor Handa

WQ.399/2021

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE ASSISTANT CHIEF MINISTER BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. JOHN

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 11th OCTOBER 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 18th OCTOBER 2021

Question

Will the Minister advise –

1. the exact wording of the brief given to the Our Hospital project Clinical Director; who wrote and approved the brief, and what approval process was followed;
2. whether the Clinical Director's brief extends to choosing paint colours and wall art, and if so, why;
3. to whom the Clinical Director reports, and whether this includes the Director General for Health and Community Services and the Political Oversight Group;
4. when the Clinical Director's contract is due to expire, whether there is any intention to extend the contract, and if so, on what terms;
5. what day rate is paid to the Clinical Director;
6. how much has been paid to the Clinical Director since June 2019 to date, broken down by salary, travel and subsistence; and
7. whether there are any other payments due to the Clinical Director on completion of any stages of the Our Hospital project?

Answer

1. The brief provided to the Clinical Director is as follows:

• To provide liaison between Heads of Care Groups, Specialty clinical and service teams and the Project Team

• To advise the Project Board via Quality and Safety Care Group on potential patient safety risks

• To be a critical reader' of material produced in support of the Our Hospital Project (clinical department designs, feasibility of proposed services changes, workforce plans and so on).

• To be a member of key Assurance Committees supporting the Our Hospital Project and other groups such as the relocation works group, client project team forums, clinical forums and the Project Board

• To work with external non-clinical advisors as and when they contribute to the Project

• To support the final approval and sign-off of department floor plans and other service plans with the relevant clinical and operational leads for those departments

• To provide assurance to the Medical Staff Committee and other clinical forums that the clinician voice continues to inform the Project and that patient safety and opportunities for clinical innovation remain guiding principles for the Project.

The brief for the role was written by the Project Team for Our Hospital and approved by them as the team responsible for delivery of the project.

2. The Clinical Director's brief does not extend to choosing paint colours or selecting wall art. He is not responsible for making any choices himself and has not done so. However, some attendees of the Clinical User Groups have considered the interior design and art strategies and their impact on the healing environment.

3. On a day to day basis the Clinical Director reports to the Project Director. He is also accountable to the Director General for Health and Community Services (as the Senior Reporting Officer for the Our Hospital Project) and to the Chief Executive Officer (who chairs the senior officer steering group) and to the Political Oversight Group.
4. The Clinical Director's contract was due to expire in July 2021. As his services will be required up to the commencement of the build phase, his contract has been extended on the same terms and conditions until July 2022. This has been approved by the States' Employment Board.
5. The Clinical Director is paid £1,000.00 per eight-hour day.
6. From joining the Our Hospital Project in July 2019 until 31 August 2021, the Clinical Director has been paid £278,375. Air fares and accommodation have been paid by the Government of Jersey in the sums of £4,116.93 and £5,969.81 respectively. There is no allowance for travel to and from the port of entry and no allowance for subsistence.

There are no other payments due to the Clinical Director.