In recent weeks, this newspaper has been critical of the Health and Social Services Department leadership for its approach to safeguarding public funds. In particular, its assertion that overspending next year by up to £8m. is acceptable is, at best, a lamentable misunderstanding of the island’s current financial situation.

But, as we report today, looking after public funds is not a priority for a department which appears as cavalier with islanders’ cash as it is the welfare of its own staff.

There are many aspects that are disturbing about this two-year suspension of a consultant: the treatment of an individual, the waste of money, the role and quality of management and its HR function, supervision of departmental behaviour… The list goes on.

More disturbing, however, is the HSSD’s inability to face up to its responsibilities and answer questions about the consequences of its decisions. Why has a highly trained and competent consultant been paid to do nothing for so long? Who believed that was an acceptable way to behave? What political input has there been? Who has been trying to resolve this clearly unsatisfactory situation?

By our calculations, HSSD has been haemorrhaging islanders’ money at a rate of £28,000 a month. Who sanctioned that as acceptable?

When this newspaper criticised HSSD last month, it provoked an extravagantly personal attack on its editor from the Health minister, its chief executive and the modern matron, who accused him of being insane.

While readers might consider the Guernsey Press’s version of sanity to be preferable to the department’s, its foam-flecked response is telling.

This is an organisation incapable of taking criticism and it has a culture of secrecy bordering on the paranoid. If it is confident of the fairness and correctness of its actions, why is it not prepared to be open about them?

The sad thing is that there is much to admire within HSSD, which has some excellent staff and managers providing some excellent services.

Yet it is what’s coming from the top that lets down the whole organisation.