From Brian Hotton
FOR some time now we have been informed by the Health Authorities here in Jersey that up to a third of the population could succumb to Swine Flu.

JEP 19th August, page 9: ‘Hospital beds warning’ and the Deputy Medical Officer of Health states: ‘Urgent solutions have been identified to open up some further beds, but for now it has been necessary to cancel/postpone all elective surgery’, for this, I take it she means non-urgent.

JEP 20th August, page 2: ‘Hospital can cope with flu outbreak’. Rose Naylor, the director of nursing and governance states that this‘includes the redirection of staff’. This surely must be very limited, or they have some very ‘under employed’ nursing staff, which I would not believe for one minute.

She then goes on to state: ‘In the event of a mass outbreak, the hospital would have 230 flu beds, with the option of using an additional 118 other beds for flu patients’. Redirection of staff for an extra 118 beds?

They may well have enough staff for the 230 beds, but where are they going to get the staff for the additional 118 beds? As I have said, I do not believe that nurses are underemployed.

I have just heard the Minister of Health on Radio Jersey being interviewed about the shortage of nurses in Jersey, saying: ‘We have managed to open six extra beds with a few more staff.’ This confirms my doubts about being able to find nurses for the other 112 beds.

I actually think that the Health department may have used that very expensive media-spin section of the Chief Minister’s department, which never seems to get anything right for their press releases.

I suppose they will suggest closing the maternity wing next, along with intensive care. Maybe I should not say that, they may take me as being serious.
66 Stopford Road.