Decision Making: Selecting a Site for the Future Hospital (March 2012 – February 2016)

Background

High quality decision making is essential for securing value for money.

Although the States may not have to make a directly comparable decision to the selection of the site for the Future Hospital, other major decisions are taken regularly including those that are both high value and contentious. 

Scope

This report focusses on the process put in place to select the location of the Future Hospital as an example of a major decision making process by the States.  It covers actions in the period up to February 2016 and not the merits of the decision made.  

Conclusions

There were substantial weaknesses in the decision making process, including in relation to governance, accountabilities, programme management, effective engagement and use of specialist support.

To deliver cost effective decision making, there is a need for:

• clear structures, roles and responsibilities
• the right resources, tools and approaches; and
• improvements in basic operational areas:
  • identification of relevant professional support requirements at the outset, to minimise the need for subsequent variations with consequent cost and time implications
  • maintaining high quality records so that there is no ambiguity about what has been agreed; and
  • ensuring that necessary, validated information is available before the engagement of external advisors.