Health care revolution
Tuesday 31st May 2011, 3:13PM BST.
A proposed idea is employing GPs in A&E at the Hospital
THE most radical reform of health services for generations is proposed today as Jersey gears up to deal with an unprecedented rise in the number of retired Islanders.
Consultants brought in to suggest ways forward warn that the ‘silver tsunami’ threatening to hit Jersey’s shores will put huge demands on the healthcare system.
Today Health Minister Anne Pryke launched a major consultation to get Islanders’ views on the proposals, which, if accepted by the States, would drastically alter the way in which services are provided.
She said that Jersey needed to act now. The consultation paper says that the Hospital will need extensive refurbishment or replacing, which could cost up to £300 million.
Full story in today’s JEP
Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are also available online.
Travel
To, from and around the Island
Airport Arrivals/Departures
Harbours Arrivals/Departures
Bus Information/Timetables
JOIN US ON...
Facebook and Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Got a story? Get in touch
KIT 4 CLUBS
Win a share of £10,000
2012 is the year of the London Olympics and to celebrate this great event the Jersey Evening Post, in association with sponsors Ogier is giving all sporting clubs a chance to win a share of £10,000.
This is Jersey
Jersey Evening Post
Useful links
Lets start by putting an end to health tourists and immigrants who won’t pay for a GP and clog up A&E. I had an accident with a power tool and had to wait 3 hours, this during the middle of the week early afternoon. This should have been a quiet period but the place was full of foreigniers with non urgent health issues not wanting to pay for a GP.
Report abuse
why the suprise?
they must know how many people are here and being paying in all those years?
why was this not planned for ten years ago?
here’s a roumour, one day we will be like guernsey, and you will need private health insurance , or america for that matter, pure speculation on my part.
as they said in “up pompei” “it came to pass”.
Report abuse
It is time to refurbishment the General Hospital in St. Helier in order to continue the excellent standard of care/hygiene already in place.
Report abuse
Silver Tsunami:
No surprise there as the Jersey laws are very old fashion and attracting young people is almost impossible due to the claustrophobic size of the island and the boringness of the night life in general.
And I am disgust to have to pay social every month to pay for some ridiculous pay offs.
There must have been a few in the past we never heard.
Get the Doctors to stop sending people home for any stupid little problems, as some are taking the mickey.For me to get £125 from social when I am really ill, is not enough to cover rent.
Service is very slow and poor for something who s only been built not so long ago.
Who ever design it, had access to the medicine cabinet: I am getting lost every time I visit someone. Real maze in there but far from amazing.
Report abuse
If you though £800K was bad now it’s £300M for the hospital and £250M for liquid waste strategy about to be announced.
GST will have to rise to 100% ‘just’ after the next election.
‘go’in to ‘ell in an ‘andcart mon vy!’
Report abuse
Call me Mr. Cynical but is this setting us up for the next increase in GST to cover the cost?
Report abuse
The future sounds pretty bleak. GST will be 20% before long to pay for all of this. Think I will take my money and leave when I retire.
Report abuse
As the current account deficit balloons ever bigger, ever bigger plans to spend money appear.
We have had Freddie Cohen’s plan for the island to take on the £120M Esplanade Quarter project, now we have Anne Pryke’s new £300 hospital.
Before we embrace any huge new capital projects perhaps we should dig ourselves out of the poo first?
Or maybe these plans are meant to divert the electorate away from the fact that the island is in a horrible mess and the CoM are making very little effort to get us out apart from half heartedly raising taxes?
Report abuse
Current States overspend per year £100 Million – where is the £300 Million to come from? are banks going to be happy to lend to a small island rapidly bankrupting itself??
Report abuse
Here we go again.? I think I’ve now got amnesia.! Did we not have ISAS consultation under Mr.Joualt for the Ageing Society.? Did we not have the solution to all ailments,New Directions.? And now another costly round of consultations.A bit of joined up thinking by the highly paid managers of all States departments would not go a miss.
Oh and then in the midst of it all,FNHC cleverly close their stores? Never mind the £ 300 million for the new hospital Deputy Pryke.Start with the basics.
Report abuse
Nothing new here this has been on the cards for 40 years now. That means there has been plenty of time to prepare.
Oh dear they haven’t bothered. Now we have a disaster looming. I know where the blame lies.
No doubt those promised retirement at 65 with decent provisions for old age will not be best pleased with the turn of events having trusted their government and their previous promises on retirement.
The propaganda given 40 years ago about you paying for the previous generation and the next generation paying for you has been shown to be utter tripe. The laugh about this was the war generation paid very little to nothing in, yet they have drawn out of the pot.
I can see major discontent, with the likely turn of events, as a larger and larger chunk of the population turn more militant and demand their promises be fulfilled.
As for acting now who are you kidding? This is most likely beyond repair. Don’t panic Mr. Mannering……
Report abuse
This matter was first mooted in the States in the 70s !!!
Bit late now to start thinking about a solution!
Report abuse
Why dont they put the figure at 500 million just in case!!!!!
1. The exchange rate changes,
2. Another cople of top dogs to pay off,
3. another bigger black hole with a red center and white rings comes to light!!
Just a thought, if we put GST up to 20% now then it would be paid for before it was built and only the rich living here!!! A win win position for them again.
Report abuse
Toastedteacakes (3) That’s as maybe, disputed in my opinion, but maybe….. but £300million……
Only in Jersey!!!!!
Report abuse
When i go to A&E it is always clogged up with druggies getting their free needles and fix,,, Make them pay for this as it is self inflicted ,, same for alcoholic’s and smokers ,,,,,
Report abuse
Those foreigners clogging up A&E pay their taxes just like you and l but they also have to pay extra rent for their non qualified status is that fair?
Seeing a doctor in my opinion should be free at delivery.
Report abuse
Are these people for real!! Fine, i understand that the healthcare may need to improve in order to care for our growing elderly population but 300m for a new hospital….are you for real!! Before any of this goes ahead there are a few changes that need to be made! Stop wasting money on unecessary things (like idiot states members and pay offs!)Stop letting people into the island willy nilly who have no intention of paying back into our eceonomy!Stop letting huge companies away with paying no tax back into the island! Stop ripping off those who work there backsides off to live a normal life over here! There are a million and one things this island needs and once the people feel they are being treated fairly and with a little consideration instead of having the p**s taken out of them, im sure many will be happy for a new hospital etc to be built! First we all need a little money being put back into our pockets instead of another future increase to pay a ridiculous sum for a new hospital when our current one is good enough for the minute! If the states members could get a grip and be spend thrifts and learn how to budget correctly then we wouldn’t all be so against another spend but considering it is constantly coming out of our pockets in GST rises etc then they can all go and swing!!!
Report abuse
To be honest, people coming up for retirement are probably better off moving some where else.
Assuming you are able to sell your house ………..
Report abuse
Consultants are brought in again, WHY?
Did the CoM think that this report would dismiss all the other reports in their favour – no they just ran around like headless chickens with their fingers in their ears.
And no, we don’t need a new hospital, we just need someone who knows what they are doing for a change to run it cost effectively without cutting back on patient care. Make better use of the Overdale sight to start with!
The COM have really left this Island in a mess, how ever, come election time later this year, I hope a lot of new candidates stand who have morals and vote out and we vote these useless money wasting so called COM we have at present with a high voter turn out.
Report abuse
What about all the people Sen Ozouf and ex CM Walker wanted to attract to pay for the pension deficit?
What happens when they have children and get older?
Jersey is not big enough!
Report abuse
Consultants are brought in again, WHY?
Did the CoM think that this report would dismiss all the other reports in their favour – no they just ran around like headless chickens with their fingers in their ears.
And no, we don’t need a new hospital, we just need someone who knows what they are doing for a change to run it cost effectively without cutting back on patient care. Make better use of the Overdale sight to start with!
The COM have really left this Island in a mess, how ever, come election time later this year, I hope a lot of new candidates stand who have morals and vote out these useless money wasting so called COM we have at present with a high voter turn out.
Report abuse
Living to long?
No I’m not having that!
That’s some excuse.
The real reason is letting too many in over the years,and of course a good proportion of them will live past the retirement age.
And now they need a new hospital because they can’t cope!
So the burden will fall on the tax-payer and up goes GST.
One day we will all wake up and revolt against this government,but I fear it is too late.
Report abuse
1. B Le Brocq
I was wondering how long it would take before someone tried blaming it on the foreigners. First comment is very impressive.
The solution to the problem you highlight is to make GPs free for everyone, foreign or not. Not to just leave foreigners to have no healthcare at all. Stop being so racist and have a heart for goodness sake.
Report abuse
With the incompetents in the States this is no surprise. The issue is that the States spend too much of our hard earned cash. There are 53 paid States members and I see no need for more than about 12. This would save 41 pay cheques plus associated civil service cost equalling about £5m. The big gain is that the remaining 12 members would work rather than wasting time and coming up with new ways to spend our cash.
Consider our chancellors record:
Personal tax allowances are gone
Social security contributions are massivly increased
GST introduced with a commitment to stick at 3%
Excise duties increased
Stamp duty increased.
School funding reduced
Retirement deferred.
Hasnt Ozouf done well! A legacy of incompetence.
Add to this that Gorst now wants an additional tax to pay for people to keep their houses in old age – why they dont buy insurance is their choice.
If the Health or any other budget is to be balanced then we need fewer States members and a focus on less public spending.
Report abuse
Two years ago I waited exactly 11months&3weeks for a hernia operation, 6months longer than in Scotland, and if the States do not address the immigration problem quickly that will get worse, unless of course you are in BUPA.
Report abuse
Its all right they are going bring in even more experts from the UK at wonderful salaries people who cannot run their own NHS properly and even more civil servants, the average member of the states cares not a jot except to increase he own wage.The imported civil servants have no feeling for Jersey, just the large wage.
Report abuse
Make GPs free – err the health service is already short of cash – no chance.
I have had poor results from our Jersey Health service resulting in me ending up in the UK for treatment – fortunately we have health insurance.
Spent hours one night in A&E loads of people coming in to exchange needles- on my tax – no wonder the system is falling apart.
Report abuse
Way too many expensive chiefs and not enough nurses…they have comprehensively demonstrated the innability to run and maintain the Hospital we have ..so why trust them with a new one…civil servants just love big capital projects to ensure their employment as they hide away in the confusion and scale of it all
Report abuse
“With the incompetents in the States this is no surprise. The issue is that the States spend too much of our hard earned cash. There are 53 paid States members and I see no need for more than about 12. This would save 41 pay cheques plus associated civil service cost equalling about £5m. The big gain is that the remaining 12 members would work rather than wasting time and coming up with new ways to spend our cash.”
There is only one problem with your theory of cutting down the States.
The ten members that make up up the CoM spend over 95% of the money, in fact four members of the CoM; Health, Social Security and Home Affirs account for a good 80%.
Ozouf and Gorst are key members of the ruling group and in the CoM, they will be players in any States that could be constituted under the present system unless the voters kick them out which is pretty unlikely.
£5M is nothing for the States, Health spent more than that on swine flu!
Report abuse
Ooops, I forgot Education in the big four spending departments
Report abuse
27. Overpopulated.
How much more would it cost? You are complaining about people taking advantage of A&E which wastes taxpayers money, so just swap it to GPs instead. That’ll save people the hassle of waiting at A&E and the GPs will be able to to give people preventative care, saving our hospital money in the long run.
Think it through man.
Report abuse
No. 14 Diane 300 million is a good enough figure to refurbish the General Hospital in St Helier. The air conditioning and flooring needs replacing and these matters can be addressed immediately.
Report abuse
The main problem is that you have a monopoly with no competition,There are States controlled services or States controlled Health services.The Civil servants brainwash the politicians with long winded consultations e.g New Directions etc and nothing gets implemented.The answer is to set up a Community Health Trust to monitor the work of the General and Acute Hospital and contract with it.Then we’ll see some Community experts in charge as this is the route of all problems.Jersey has no Community Care other than an expensive GP option or private care homes.
Report abuse
Before we engage another hugely expensive consultancy exercise, may I suggest a good cleaner first, as there are still a large number of MRSA cases at the General.
Report abuse
Far too much time is spent consulting/discussing and pretend paper pushing around polished desks. It is time for action on the wards and hygene is paramount.
Report abuse
@ post 1 B Le Brocq:
Yes I agree but you will also find locals with well paid jobs in A&E avoiding GP charges too.
People I used to work with (at a well known local company that paid well) would aften take their kids down there and sit for 3-4 hours rather than pay 50 quid to the GP or more for a weekend callout.
The trouble in turning these leeches away is that in our litigious society, the hardworking Docs and Nurses at A&E would be sued if little Johnnys condition worsened because the parents were too tight to see a GP.
I can understand people on the breadline doing this as is gets expensive to see the GP but perhaps this should be addressed seperately.
Might start going down there myself.
Report abuse
Re: No.18 Overpopulated.
Don’t think you will win by leaving the Island. If you leave for 3 months you lose everything you have paid into including Social Security all your Health Benefits. You will have to pay Doctors -Hospital etc all Privately even though you have paid into the Social Security System all your working Life.
I know it has happened to us. Believe me.
Report abuse
37. Not sure what you mean. I have PAID to see specialists in Jersey – either pay or wait 6 months or more to see them. I have also PAID to see specialists in the UK and the insurance paid for other treatment.
I have not been impressed with the standard of care in Jersey and the waiting time for some specialists and treatment is unacceptable – however our states did not wish to consider such things when they allowed this tiny island to become -OVERPOPULATED
Report abuse