Guernsey Press

Single clause holding back MSG contract

ONE outstanding clause has yet to be agreed between Health and the Medical Specialist Group as the pair work towards signing a new care contract.

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Both Employment & Social Security and Health & Social Care have agreed the terms of the contract and are due to sign it imminently, pending agreement on the outstanding clause.

Health has said greater cost control, clear performance indicators and a single complaints policy all formed part of a new contract.

Neither Health nor the Medical Specialist Group would comment on what the outstanding clause was.

When addressing colleagues, Health president Heidi Soulsby said naturally there had been a lot of interest around why it had taken so long – the target date for agreement on the key points of the new contract was set at 30 June last year.

'However, it should be understood that at a cumulative cost of £100m., this is the largest contract for the States of Guernsey and it was not something that should be rushed unnecessarily.'

MSG chairman Steve Evans could not comment in detail while negotiations are ongoing.

'Hopefully we are pretty close to signing it,' he said.

'The renegotiated contract is going to allow us the flexibility to change the service to meet the demands in the future.'

Deputy Soulsby said the new contract beared bore no relationship with the one currently in place. She added that key points of the contract included greater cost control.

'Costs have been contained through an agreed decrease in the total contract value in the first three years of 3%, 2% and 1% respectively.

'There will be clear performance metrics, which will be base-lined this year and monitored throughout the contract term. We have the ability to review services and engage MSG with the ongoing transformation programme.'

A single governance framework will also be in force.

Deputy Soulsby said it would ensure that Health & Social Care, the MSG and eventually all health care providers across the Bailiwick worked to a recognised single standard and assurance process in respect of clinical governance.

There will also be a single complaints policy so all that arise will be triaged through a single contact point.

'These are significant improvements to the current contract that have taken time to develop and I am quite happy to let it be known that the Committee for Health & Social Care has made it clear the red lines which we would not cross to ensure we got a contract in the best interests of the people of the Bailiwick.

'Time will tell, but I am hopeful that this contract will enable more joined-up working and make the transformation of health and social care possible.'

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