St John’s Residential Home to be put in care of States
ST JOHN’S Residential Home is being taken over by the States of Guernsey from 1 January.
Health & Social Care will take charge following a decision agreed with the Saumarez Park home’s board of directors.
St John’s Residential Home board chairman Colin Pickard said the move would secure the long-term future of the home.
‘This decision was very much made with a heavy heart on a personal level, but one that provides me, my wife Suzanne and fellow board member Nick McCathie with new-found hope and comfort for the future of St John’s Residential Home,’ he said.
‘We are reassured that the change in ownership will result in very little change to the actual running of the home and most importantly to the care residents receive.’
Residents and their families would likely see little change as a result in the transfer of responsibility.
All staff would have the opportunity to move across to be employed by the States of Guernsey.
St John’s operations and care home manager and clinical lead have both been involved in discussions and confirmed they would remain in post.
The agreement has been reached following a difficult decision for the home’s directors, and with the sole focus of all concerned being ensuring the continuation of the care it provides its residents and the home’s value to the island as a whole, given the well-publicised need for care homes.
The decision was made with the full support of HSC, the Policy & Resources Committee, and Employment & Social Security.
HSC president Deputy Al Brouard said: ‘It is rare that an issue generates the widespread support from three different political committees, but the decision to take over the running of St John Residential Home, to secure its long-term operations, was one such example. It is a well established fact that the island needs good quality care homes and increasingly so in the years ahead. This agreement ensures a continuation of care for residents, security for staff and maintains an important residential home for the community as a whole.’
States of Guernsey chief operating officer Jason Moriarty thanked the Pickards for their commitment to ensuring the long-term stability of the home.
‘Working with them we have begun the process of engaging with staff, residents and their families to reassure them that very little will change from their respective perspectives,’ he said.
St John Ambulance Brigade began to use the house as a home for the elderly after the Second World War.
During the early 1960s management of the home became too much for St John and responsibility passed to an independent elected board of management, which has run it as a registered charity.
