Use of Improving Performance Consultancy (FOI)

Request

Prudent spending of taxpayer money has been declared as one of the top priorities of the government in the recent years. An article in the Bailiwick Express on the 17 January 2020 'Mystery of the £315k consultant' revealed that 'the government had no records relating to the appointment of the consultant of Improving Performance Consultancy – despite her raking in more than £315,000 since 2018'. '“Current services of the consultant are due to cease at the end of Quarter 1 (March 2020) and it is not anticipated that further work or requirement of the consultants’ services will be required moving forward as a result of implementation of the Health and Community Services target operating model and final appointments to vacancies.”

A Freedom of Information response dated 29 April 2021 (see link below) further confirmed that the same consultant was additionally paid over £80,000 since 30 April 2020 mentioning involvement within obstetrics and gynaecology teams as well as support to dermatology and mental health services.

Extension of consultants contract (FOI)

A

Is the external consultant still employed by the Government of Jersey? If so - on which projects and what are the expected timelines and deliverables? Was the extension of the contract beyond Q1 2020 approved by the States Employment Board?

B

What have been the total payments to the consultant and / or her company, Improving Performance Consultancy, made since the 2017 appointment until now? What other costs related to the consultant's services have been paid by the government to date (travel, accommodation, meals, subcontracted services and so on)?

C

What have been the specific, tangible and measured service improvements benefiting patients or savings resulting from the consultancy services of the external consultant behind 'one of the top five most expensive supplier contracts with the Government'. Please provide reports and recommendations resulting from the consultant’s services.

Response

A

Improving Performance Consultancy is currently undertaking a review of Haematology and Oncology which will produce a report to the HCS Senior Leadership Team. This review will be completed in September 2021.

Improving Performance Consultancy is engaged directly by Health and Community Services as a service provider and is not employed through the States Employment Board.

B

The total payment from 2017 to date is £446,111

Other payments total £10,744, which includes flights (£9,026), hotels (£1,193) and other payments (£525)

C

The table below outlines the work-streams that have been carried out by the Consultant since the appointment to the present day:

There would be significant resource required to prepare the above reports and recommendations contained therein for disclosure, as each would require individual consideration of exemptions. Therefore, Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

Further, it has been assessed that to provide any additional information would exceed the time limit as prescribed under Regulation of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 therefore Article 16 has been applied. It is also considered that any additional information would likely be exempt under Article 33 (Commercial Interests).

Article applied

Article 16 A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations

(2) Despite paragraph (1), a scheduled public authority may still supply the information requested on payment to it of a fee determined by the authority in the manner prescribed by Regulations for the purposes of this Article.

(3) Regulations may provide that, in such circumstances as the Regulations prescribe, if two or more requests for information are made to a scheduled public authority –

(a) by one person; or

(b) by different persons who appear to the scheduled public authority to be acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign,

the estimated cost of complying with any of the requests is to be taken to be the estimated total cost of complying with all of them.