Politics
Gov Awaits Results of HSCC Complaint
A complaint was received from the Health Services Consultation Committee last year after issues between itself and Mr Hooper.
Chief Minister Alf Cannan and Health Minister Lawrie Hooper say they both look forward to seeing the publication of a report into a complaint from a health body.
A complaint was received from the Health Services Consultation Committee last year after issues between itself and Mr Hooper.
Earlier today we reported that a member of the HSCC, former RGS head Annette Baker, had quit and accused Mr Hooper of creating a ‘toxic and adversarial atmosphere’.
She added: ‘Over the past 12 months especially, however, I have found it increasingly impossible to work within the toxic and adversarial atmosphere created in my view by the current Minister for Health and Social Care, an atmosphere which has prevailed especially since he and his Department member took issue with our committee’s annual report and reacted in an entirely inappropriate way at the feedback meeting in June.’
In a response, Mr Hooper said: ‘Resignations were not unexpected following the changes in the HSCC regulations. The changes refocused the committee onto patients and service users, and were strongly opposed by some members.
‘I acknowledge that the changes may be uncomfortable for those deeply invested in the previous regime but I firmly believe they are in the best interests of the Island. I can confirm a complaint was received, through the appropriate channels, and that I have fully co-operated with the investigation. It wouldn’t be appropriate to comment any further at this time, but look forward to seeing the outcome in due course.
‘I am eager to work with the Health Services Consultative Committee as they move on to the collection and delivery of vital service user feedback, championing the views of users across health and social care and helping drive transformation of services. They will be pivotal in ensuring that service users have a route for their experiences and suggestions to be heard, as well as providing a pro-active forum for seeking out service level improvements in a way that will help us to bring about meaningful improvements.’
Meanwhile, Mr Cannan said that he had initiated the investigation and that ‘both the HSCC and the DHSC have fully co-operated’ with it and he expects to receive the final report before the end of this month.
Baker
Mrs Baker has also clarified some of the issues around the meetings referenced in her resignation letter and why she was not personally at the meeting.
She said that as an original meeting date was scheduled for when she was due to visit her family, Mr Hooper and DHSC member Tanya August-Hanson MLC had ‘expressed irritation that I was not there on June 26, then demanded a follow up meeting with me that never materialised because I was able to provide them with evidence that I had fact checked my report with department officers and an officer from the attorney general’s chambers’.
Mrs Baker added: ‘My holiday in America was interrupted by distressing reports of the meeting, it was clear from my colleagues that LH and TAH had behaved completely inappropriately. I was told that both LH and TAH had taken issue with my work in particular, and this worried me greatly at the time and subsequently. I have never had the opportunity to meet either of them to share the evidence base for my report.
‘LH has continued to disparage us all on Twitter, on Manx Radio in GEF and in the House of Keys. He has repeatedly called into question our competence and professionalism. The fact that I was not at June 26 meeting is irrelevant, I have spoken to colleagues and read statements that make it very clear what happened at that meeting, for which none of us have received any apology.’
