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An islander has shared his reflections on the ongoing hospital saga after his wife was faced with eight weeks in hospital and no functioning shower.
The islander, who wished to remain anonymous, had this to say...
"My dear wife of 54 years has now been in hospital for eight weeks, having suffered a very severe stroke. Amongst other things, this life-changing event has given me several reasons to pass on this message to the wider community.
Firstly, I would very much like to say thank-you, publicly, to the amazing, dedicated staff who are looking after her, and others in a similar situation. Our family is very grateful and thankful for all they have done, and are doing, to aid her recovery. We do have a good idea of how much pressure they are under due to covid-19, staff shortages etc.
Pictured: "This may seem difficult to believe, but during this eight week period, this wonderful lady has only had two baths and not been able to take a single shower."
Sadly, the second reason is far less positive, but no fault of the dedicated and caring people mentioned above.
This may seem difficult to believe, but during this eight week period, this wonderful lady has only had two baths and not been able to take a single shower! Not because there is no-one available to assist her, but simply because the shower in her ward is broken.
This is not only of concern for my wife, but also for the other people in her predicament. How long does it take to repair a shower? In this case it looks like months! Is it because finance does not allow it, and if not why?
Pictured: "The results achieved by this fine unit in the past speak for themselves. Little did I realise how soon our family would fall victim to that decision, which forms part of what can best be described as the fiasco of our healthcare reorganisation."
Closing Samarès Ward, one of the best equipped and best staffed stroke units in the British Isles, just to demolish it, a relatively new building that has recently been refurbished at great expense to make way for an acute hospital to satisfy the Jersey Care Model dream was and is a big mistake.
The results achieved by this fine unit in the past speak for themselves. Little did I realise how soon our family would fall victim to that decision, which forms part of what can best be described as the fiasco of our healthcare reorganisation.
If the past is anything to go by, the announcement recently made by the Government that the old Les Quennevais School will become the new Overdale, will cost £10m (a starting figure like all figures produced by the States e.g. £466m and £804m, etc) and it will be temporary, is just more of the same and would not pass the lie detector test. In reality, we would finish up with an acute hospital and a dual-site situation.
Pictured: The Government recently reported that the old Les Quennevais School will become the 'new Overdale' at a cost of £10m.
After the second application to build a hospital in Gloucester Street was turned down, everybody was united, including States Members, in saying that what we needed was a General Hospital on a single site.
Never before has our wonderful Island so desperately needed an election and a clutch of new candidates who, hopefully, will join the small number of competent backbenchers who, currently, do their best to fight an inevitably loosing battle.
Next spring, they will have the unenviable task of unpicking all the damage done by this woeful Council of Ministers and their bosses in the civil service."
Express contacted the Government for comment on the content of this letter, but they declined to respond.
