Connect with us

Health

HSCC War of Words

Lawrie Hooper has rubbished claims made by Mr Cole

Published

3 years ago

on

As the gov prepares to alter how the Health Services Consultative Committee operates, its outgoing chair has criticised the changes and accused the minister of intimidating behaviour, something he has refuted. 

The HSCC is going to have its role changed to focussing more on patient experience, something that Andrew Cole has criticised.

Speaking to Gef, Mr Cole said he had been contacted by two current members of the HSCC who ‘wished to express their acute concern and distress following events since the publication of the Annual Report’.

Mr Cole said that in response to the report, which accused the gov of stifling Manx Care’s progress, ‘allegedly stated that HSCC members are barred from attending DHSC meetings’.

He added that Mr Hooper had said there wouldn’t be another annual report to Tynwald in the current form and that members would have to reapply for their positions.

In its statement announcing what it said was a plan to ‘modernise’ the HSCC, the DHSC said it would be changing the remit and said that information would be ‘shared with the DHSC to ensure patients’ views are represented’. 

This does appear to be a reduction from its current role to provide ‘independent advice on the operations, performance and effectiveness of the National Health Service’.

Mr Cole said: ‘I gather that this edict was announced at the start of the annual meeting at which the Minister feeds back to the HSCC about their key recommendations and further expanded upon in detail with the incoming HSCC Chair earlier this week.  

‘At the annual meeting, the Minister gave a ‘rant’ (his word) regarding his displeasure with the Annual Report content; all supported by the political Department member Tanya August Hanson who demanded a separate meeting with the HSCC member responsible for Policy and Legislation scrutiny.  Despite the member proactively seeking this meeting, the Executive Director has now written to say this is no longer required.’

Regulations

Mr Cole further said that a review of the current 2012 regulations would ‘reveal that these restrictions appear to be legally incorrect but happening anyway’ and later accused the minister and departmental member of ‘intimidating and bullying behaviour’.

He added: ‘If there has been any systemic learning from the recent high profile employment tribunal and the pan-Government cultural review I would hope that such blatantly incorrect behaviour would be swiftly rectified.  In my view this would involve an acceptance that the HSCC annual report is in fact a positive and helpful document based on good evidence and observations; and a retraction of any intention to alter its legal basis by changing its Regulations and function without legally required genuine consultation.

‘The whole point of having an independently appointed committee is that it is just that – independent.  Any change to an internally appointed group would remove its value as a critical friend to the DHSC and the Manx public.  It would be unable to hold officers, political members and ministers to account.

‘It would become an unnecessary waste of resource that had no leverage or influence. It reminds me of what happened to the Education Council in around 2015 when the Appointments Commission no longer selected its independent members and it became a burdensome puppet of the DESC.’

Minister Hooper

Unusual for me to do this, but I just wanted to explain why we have not asked Mr Hooper for a direct response on this. If you want the short version, he tweeted. The long version is below.

Gef first received Mr Cole’s letter before the DHSC announced its plans to ‘modernise’ the HSCC and had intended to contact the DHSC for a response. However, before we did this, it outlined the proposals and it was decided to run Mr Cole’s letter as a reaction from the outgoing chair.

However, Mr Cole also appeared in an interview with Paul Moulton over the weekend in which he made the same claims he has made in his letter to Gef.

Responding to this on Twitter, Mr Hooper said: ‘If it helps, the HSCC report is chock full of factual errors (again) and includes false statements & misrepresentations. The same goes for this interview.’

 

Mr Moutlon has since said he has invited Mr Hooper, but he had declined. We also know, from Twitter, that Mr Hooper has spoken to Phil Gawne today for an interview that will appear on Manx Radio’s Agenda programme.

In essence, I took the view that Mr Hooper has publicly responded to the claims made and refuted them.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading