Health Minister compares Jersey Hospital to NHS scandal

Monday 07 November 2016

Jersey Health Minister says only the dedication and skill of staff at Jersey’s General Hospital is staving off a medical scandal.

Under fire at a recent scrutiny meeting, Senator Andrew Green told the panel, “...if you look at the recent Mid Staffs scandal, we tick all the boxes." He then went on to praise staff for their skills and their professionalism. But, nobody on the panel quizzed him any further on what, if it’s true, is a significant admission.

According to the Guardian ‘“Mid Staffs” has become a byword for NHS care at its most negligent, and is often described as the worst hospital care scandal in recent times.

It’s estimated, that because of poor care, between 400 and 1,200 patients died in the small district general hospital during a 50-month period between January 2005 and March 2009. The scandal prompted a major government-backed public inquiry and led to numerous resignations.

One of the major findings of the inquiry was that the hospital was not fit for purpose. Rooms and wards were past their sell-by dates and much of the equipment being used needed replacing, which is perhaps what Senator Green meant when he referred to the General "...ticking all the boxes."

He also told the panel the Hospital is full, and warned of the risks in doing nothing - the implication being patients will suffer if a new hospital isn’t built.

There are currently around 250 beds in the hospital, but if there’s a serious outbreak of norovirus – sometimes called the 'winter vomiting bug’ – in the next few months, it will have a dramatic effect on the hospital’s capacity.

Most beds are in wards made up bays of six. So, if the ward needs to be closed to be disinfected six beds are lost at a time. According to another hospital employee giving evidence to the panel, this would seriously stretch what is already an acute problem, possibly to breaking point.

Under the plans for the new hospital – there will be more beds – around 280, and they’ll be single-rooms with en-suite facilities. This will make containing and cleaning up after an infection easier.

Later this month States members are being invited to a workshop where Senator Green will update them on plans for the new hospital. It’s also been made public that the Treasury Minister, Senator Alan Maclean, will be telling members within the next two weeks how the multi-million pound project is going to be funded.