Senior appointments to Health and Community Services (FOI)

Request

The Jersey Evening Post on 19 July, on the front page, lists two “Health Chiefs” Health and Community Services medical director Dr Patrick Armstrong and Dr Anuschka Muller, the department’s director of improvement and innovation. While Dr Armstrong is well known and listed as a consultant at the General Hospital, Dr Muller is not. She does not show up in the GMC search of doctors.

A

Is Dr Muller a medical doctor like Dr Armstrong? If not - is she a doctor of any medical-related science?

B

When was Dr Muller appointed to the role of Director of Improvement and Innovation? Where and for how long was the job advertised? Please provide the text of the advert. What specific prior experience in healthcare systems does Dr Muller bring to the Island?

C

Please list key improvements and innovations brought to our Health Department by Dr Muller and explain how they benefit patients. Please list key performance indicators used to assess the performance of that important role.

Response

A

Information relating to Dr Muller’s qualification is publicly available on www.gov.je dated 27 October 2020, and via Dr Muller’s LinkedIn profile (LinkedIn is searchable by name). Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied as the information is already available at the following link:

Director of Improvement for Health and Community Services

B 

The role was advertised on the following and was live for a period of two weeks:

• www.oneteamjersey.gov.je which is the main website for GOJ executive recruitment

•  internally within Government of Jersey on MyStates

• on Gov.je

• Government of Jersey LinkedIn pages

• Government of Jersey Twitter account

• Government of Jersey Facebook account

• Bailiwick Express – online job posting

Advertisement Copy:

Group Director of Improvement and Innovation (Health) £: Competitive

We’re building a new, modern, sustainable and prosperous future for Jersey. It’s a future that will see people, business and government come together to collaborate in a way they’ve never done before.

This approach is called Team Jersey and it’s a milestone in our history: one island, one community, one government – and one exciting future. We need talented leaders to join us for a career-defining opportunity: to make change happen on a unique, historic island.

Developing, implementing and realising the benefits of a comprehensive health and care modernisation strategy and delivery programme, you’ll lead and be accountable for the delivery of a number of specific Non-clinical health and care services. To do this, you’ll lead in the development of our health modernisation strategy and associated delivery programme making sure that the wider government, the community and voluntary sectors are engaged and consulted on achieving our vision of creating a healthy island with safe, high-quality, affordable care that is accessible when and where it is needed.

Working closely with other government departments, you’ll take an overall lead on our non-clinical health strategy and policy development work and take a direct lead on specific strategy and policy development that are aligned to the department’s vision and delivery plans. To do this, you’ll lead the development and implementation of the department’s annual planning framework, operational plan and corporate improvement initiatives in order to ensure the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the department’s governance and operations.

To achieve this, you’ll be a commensurate strategic thinker and influencer as you’ll need to develop and sustain strong, trusting relationships with senior stakeholders across Government and with appropriate external organisations (e.g. general practice, voluntary and community sector organisations, Digital Jersey, and off-island partners in the UK, Guernsey and elsewhere)

Perhaps you have a high-profile background in modernisation and change management within health, government or the private sector. Or you hold an outstanding track record in public engagement in support of public sector transformation. Equally, you’ll be adept at working both internally and externally acting as a visible senior leader and champion for the department’s vision and plans and take a proactive role in engaging with clinicians, service users, families, carers, politicians and others in order to build and sustain buy-in to the department’s modernisation programme and to deal with complex and competing priorities that deliver outcomes to meet clinical and business objectives.

Bring the boundless talent we’re looking for and help to lead the biggest transformation in government for a generation, in one of the world’s most beautiful places. Join Team Jersey and find your unique place in building our future.

If you would like to have an informal conversation regarding this role, please email Caroline Landon – Director General for Health and Community Services at c.landon@health.gov.je  

The recruitment into this role had the oversight of the Jersey Appointment Commission, where candidates are assessed in a fair and open process and appointment is made on Merit.

Dr Muller’s specific healthcare experience is detailed in the Government of Jersey press release on her appointment:

Director of Improvement for Health and Community Services

Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied as the information is already available.

C 

Dr Muller has been recruited to lead the Health and Community Services Innovation and Improvement Team which is responsible for delivering the Jersey Care Model as well as ensuring continuous improvement in commissioning, strategic policy and planning, change management and digital health delivery across the department and in collaboration with key partners, such as Primary Care and Modernisation and Digital, for example. There are no specific key performance indicators in relation to this role.

For more information on the Jersey Care Model, please see the following link:

Jersey Care Model for Health and Community Services

Article applied

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.