'Islands working together should be rule not exception'
A SHARED chief medical officer of health was part of a vision put forward yesterday for joint working with Jersey by the Policy & Resources president.
Addressing Jersey's Institute of Directors, Gavin St Pier told the audience that both islands needed to start getting serious about what functions can realistically be shared.
Although there was joint working in some areas, these were the exception and not the rule, he said.
'We have to keep in mind that our combined populations are still only 170,000 – and we are only 10 minutes apart,' he said.
'There is not a public service which is not capable of being shared. Yes, we need police on the beat, teachers in schools and nurses in hospitals in each island, but we have duplication of governance and management in every service.
'We collect tax and social security contributions using separate systems in each island and distribute benefits in each island,' said Deputy St Pier.
'We seek to provide a full range of specialist medical care in both islands. Our trading assets – like the ports and post, tiny in a global context – have two lots of management. And so the list goes on – and on.'
