‘Spare bedrooms for health workers could be a solution’

USING redundant bedrooms in over-sized houses to put up healthcare staff could be a short-term option to resolve the ‘emergency’ in accommodating key workers in the sector, a former Health president has suggested.

Two former health presidents Deputies Heidi Soulsby and Peter Roffey joined forces to oppose a plan for use a field next to the PEH for staff accommodation. She has put forward an idea of using spare bedrooms in private homes, but was prevented from putting it to the States when debate was guillotined. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 31044367)

Heidi Soulsby would have raised the prospect in her speech on the requete last week, but debate was guillotined before she and all bar one member would have had a chance to speak. She released the text of her speech over the weekend.

‘We know that we have a high number of houses that are under-occupied, not necessarily empty, but under-occupied, with empty-nesters and others living on their own. Many struggle to afford to pay the bills and this is only going to get worse as the cost of living rises,’ she said.

‘Rather than spend millions of pounds on housing temporary workers, why don’t we find out whether members of our community would be happy to take in some agency nurses – and be paid for it of course?

‘The only downside might possibly be the need for more work by human resources officers, but if we do have a housing emergency, as we are told, then surely it would be worth it?’

Deputy Soulsby was also keen on the Duchess of Kent site in the hospital grounds to be used to provide accommodation, and wondered why it was being blocked because of concerns about the time-frame for development, when it would likely be similar to building on the green field.

Deputy Soulsby has already expressed concerns at the high numbers of agency nurses being used by HSC and whether the intention to build on-site was perpetuating that approach. She said she had heard that currently more than 140 agency nurses were being used by HSC, which she said would put the committee some £1.5m. over budget and was ‘totally unsustainable’.

Under her watch, the Health committee reduced the use of agency nurses and had some wards operating without.

‘I am not blaming the current committee for the levels we have now – Covid and Brexit have clearly had an effect. We need to do far more to grow our own. The numbers graduating from the Institute are embarrassingly low, making it an incredibly expensive programme to run. We can and must do more and I hope ESC give it the attention it deserves.’

Deputy Soulsby also proposed a rethink of the current rent allowance system for new nursing recruits to the island.

‘We are not helping ourselves. The end of the two-year rent allowance period leads to people leaving when it expires. More could be done to extend those for nurses that we want to keep.’

The focus for key worker housing needed to be affordable homes for healthcare workers who want to make a home in the island, with mixed and family housing as part of the options.

She described the proposal, and the ultimate rejection of the original requete, as ‘the wrong solution for the problem that it is believed needs solving’.