This Is Guernsey

DEPUTY Mike Hadley says that an inability to work within the system forced him to quit Health and Social Services, the only board on which he had a seat.

The South-East representative believes he can achieve more from outside.

‘I have resigned because I cannot follow the corporate approach that is required of a board member,’ he said. ‘I have tried very hard to work with the system and do things the “Guernsey way”.’

He said he had discussed the matter with the chief minister, chief officers and the acting director of the Policy Council HR department and with the minister, deputy minister and chief officer of Housing.

‘These meetings have made me appreciate the incredible bureaucracy which stifles the government.’

He said other members of the board agreed with him on matters in principle, but consider his approach counterproductive.

He respects their opinions.

‘As a member of the board I have to accept the concept of collective responsibility and accept that only the minister makes statements to the media,’ he said.

‘This is not open-enough government, of course it isn’t. We have a very secretive government where people meet in secret and discuss in secret,’ he said.

This was no criticism of Health minister Hunter Adam, though, he was quick to add.

‘I have tremendous respect for the political members of the board of the HSSD and fully support the minister, who works tirelessly to be effective.’

But he said the ways in which Health was being dealt a disservice had to be brought to light.

‘I do feel that the damage done to the health service by housing licences, rates of pay and States bureaucracy is so great that service shortfalls now need to be brought into the open in order to effect a change.’

There was too great a gap, he said, between Guernsey’s affluence and the services available.

‘There are areas where we do not provide an adequate service on an island which can pride itself on being one of the richest states in the world in terms of per-capita income.’

He made clear his frustration with slow progress.

‘The Robinson report recommended changes to our form of government which the Policy Council has not even started to implement nearly a year on.’

Some of those changes would help HSSD solve its staffing problems, he said.

Deputy Hadley admitted that information he had used to support his arguments and concerns he had raised in recent days had been inaccurate. He said he had been misinformed.

‘Some of the concerns reported to me have not been totally correct,’ he said.

‘I am sorry about this and I am particularly sorry if I have caused unnecessary upset to any members of staff or the public - I would never intentionally do so.’

He said he had never criticised HSSD staff.

‘They do wonderful work in professions I admire greatly,. They do jobs I could never dream of doing with great dedication.’

Without their willingness to work well beyond the call of duty, he said, the hospital could not deliver the service that it does.

He said many were understandably frustrated at having to work under great strain in understaffed services and that he sympathised, blaming the situation on housing-licence policy.

‘It is extremely frustrating to them to have to fill in when colleagues whom they have trained have to leave when their housing licences expire.’

He wished to apologise specifically to two Beau Sejour staff who he had previously suggested had left their positions at the hospital to move to higher-paid jobs.

‘I now understand that financial motivation was not the prime reason for them moving,’ he said.

Deputy Hadley will remain a States member.

Deputy Adam referred to him as a hard worker who was passionate about health issues and said they had always had a good personal relationship.

‘I have a lot of time for Deputy Mike Hadley,’ he said.

Article posted on 21st November, 2008 - 2.28pm