Suzanne Wylie bemoans a lack of 'mature support' in role as Jersey's top civil servant

The Government of Jersey's outgoing CEO says a lack of 'mature' support has been one of the biggest challenges she has faced during her 16 months in office.

Suzanne Wylie announced her resignation from the role as government CEO in March and is due to step down in July.

The top civil servant has told a public hearing that the systems for support around her have not been strong enough from the outset.

One of her predecessors, Charlie Parker, mentioned a similar lack of support in his closing report.

• Mrs Wylie told the Public Accounts Committee of the challenges she has encountered during her time in office.

Other challenges noted by Ms Wylie include a change of government, the cost-of-living crisis and the tragedies that took place in December 2022.

Responding to questions from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Ms Wylie said that it took a long time to get to know the system in Jersey.

She also emphasised that significant work needs to be done to improve Jersey's healthcare system.

Although the chief executive said the new Advisory Board for Health and Community Services is 'absolutely essential' to improve healthcare services, the PAC noted that the Board has not yet begun work.

Ms Wylie revealed that a 'significant overspend' of £20 million or more is expected for this year, caused by the cost of temporary staff, recruitment struggles and less income from private patients.

Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: "We have heard from the CEO that risk mitigation across different departments, particularly in Health and Community Services, is an area where we need to make some serious improvements.

"The PAC will be monitoring closely to ensure the correct measures are put in place to make sure this happens."

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