Government of Jersey

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A decision made (19.10.07) to appoint two new lay members to the Ethics Committee.

Decision Reference: MD-H SS-2007-0069
Decision Summary Title :	Ethics Committee – appointment of new members		Date of Decision Summary:	26 Sept 2007
Decision Summary Author:	Mike Entwistle, Ethics Committee Chairman		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :	H&SS Ethics Committee – appointment of new members		Date of Written Report:	26 Sept 2007
Written Report Author:	Mike Entwistle		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: H&SS Ethics Committee – appointment of new members
Decision(s): The Minister for Health and Social Services appointed two new lay members to the H&SS Ethics Committee, namely – · Rev. Maureen Turner, Hospital Chaplain · Adv. Mark Harris, a qualified lawyer.
Reason(s) for Decision: Two vacancies have arisen in the membership of the H&SS Ethics Committee following the resignation of Advocate Nicola Davies and Rev. Helena Cermakova. Both former members are thanked for their valuable and much appreciated contribution to the Committee over several years. The Committee’s terms of reference require that its membership shall include a member of the clergy and a member with legal experience. The above two nominations are recommended for appointment by the Chief Officer of Health and Social Services.
Resource Implications: These appointments are honorary and there are no manpower or resource implications.
Action required: · Chief Officer’s office to notify the States Greffe of the decision. · Committee Chairman to inform the nominees of their appointment
Signature:		Position:
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Ethics Committee - appointment of new members

REPORT

H&SS Ethics Committee – appointment of new members

Summary

Two members of the Health and Social Services Ethics Committee have resigned following completion of their terms of office. It is proposed that, in accordance with the Ethics Committee terms of reference, two new appointments are made to replace the vacated positions.

Background

Advocate Nicola Davies has been a member since the Ethics Committee was re-constituted in 1999 and has served until 2006. Rev Helena Cermakova was appointed as Hospital Chaplain in 2000 and has been a member of the Ethics Committee until her retirement in 2007. Both former members have made a longstanding and significant contribution to the Ethics Committee deliberations, and are sincerely thanked for their support over several years.

The Ethics Committee terms of reference require that the non-clinical membership of the Ethics Committee shall include at least one person with an understanding of law and at least one member of the clergy. Honorary appointments are normally for a period of five years and are to be made by the Minister for Health and Social Services, on the nomination of the Chief Officer.

Proposed appointments

The nominees have been selected in accordance with the Jersey Appointments Commission guidance on appointments to autonomous and quasi-autonomous public bodies.

Rev Maureen Turner has been appointed as Hospital Chaplain and it is noted that ex-officio membership of the Ethics Committee is included within her job description. She has an appropriate background and experience in dealing with ethical issue and has a particular interest in Ethics Committee matters.

Advocate Mark Harris is an Associate of a major law firm in Jersey, and has applied to become a member of the Ethics Committee following circulation of information to all members of the Jersey Law Society. Amongst his qualifications, Advocate Harris has completed a Master of Laws (LLM) in Medical Law (Legal Aspects of Medical Practice) at the University of Wales.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Chief Officer should nominate Reverend Maureen Turner and Advocate Mark Harris to be appointed by the Minister as members of the H&SS Ethics Committee.

M. Entwistle

Chairman, H&SS Ethics Committee