No staff, so premature baby has to be fed in UK

STAFF shortages in the PEH pharmacy meant that a mother and premature baby had to be flown to the UK because intravenous feeds could not be prepared in Guernsey.

But confirming the incident yesterday, Health minister Hunter Adam (pictured) said that the cost had been £37,000, not the £60,000 claimed by HSSD board member Mike Hadley.

Deputy Hadley warned that there would be more such cases.

'Because of the shortages of staff, there will be an increase in procedures which cannot be carried out in the island,' he said.

'The issues of remuneration and housing licences do compromise patient care.'

Deputy Hadley broke ranks over next year's cash allocation which, he was adamant, was not enough to maintain existing services, let alone meet aspirations.

But Deputy Adam was quick to dismiss the claim.