Time to be open about licences
ON SATURDAY, we highlighted the difficulties that the Health and Social Services Department is in – and the potential impact of that on patients and clinical safety – as a result of staff shortages.
ON SATURDAY, we highlighted the difficulties that the Health and Social Services Department is in – and the potential impact of that on patients and clinical safety – as a result of staff shortages.
Those recruitment and retention problems are, at least in part, a consequence of the way the Housing Department operates and, as former HSSD member Deputy Mike Hadley has been at pains to point out, it also has a big impact on the taxpayer through locum and other costs.
Health, to its credit, identified these issues at least a year ago and has initiatives in place to try to mitigate the worst aspects of the problems.
It has also asked for greater flexibility from Housing and, again as a result of Deputy Hadley's rocking the boat, confirmed its fears of political bias at Housing and the damaging consequences that could have on the island's health service.
These, clearly, are serious matters, which is one reason consultants Tribal Helm raised the isolationist operation of Housing. But it is the prospect of politicians on the department taking decisions for anything other than the most scrupulous of reasons that is more alarming.
The HSSD may be wrong in its fears – although few islanders will think it is – but things must have come to a sorry state for it even to contemplate such things.
This, then, is a matter that requires Housing to act swiftly not just to deny, as it already has, any bias but to demonstrate that none can exist.
Feedback from business that have sought licences suggests that staff are exceptionally helpful and professional. It is, however, what happens at a board level that ultimately determines whether a licence gets issued or not.
To shake off these detrimental perceptions of prejudice, Housing needs to be more transparent in the way it operates and more open in how it handles applications.
For a start, how many are received and rejected or approved? Of those recommended by staff for approval, how many are knocked back at a political level and for what reason?
How many of those supported by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission or Commerce and Employment are subsequently rejected by the Housing board?
Openness at this level could do much to improve confidence in Housing's performance.
