Health service agency staff up despite desire to reduce reliance

Health & Social Care president Al Brouard told the Assembly that the States was employing 162 agency staff, which is approximately 10% of its workforce.

At the end of 2022, HSC had 154 agency staff, who between them cost nearly £12m. that year.

‘We would love to reduce that down and change them to permanent staff,’ said Deputy Brouard.

Despite the number of agency staff currently employed, they are filling no more than half the total number of vacancies in the health service.

‘We are looking at probably around 300 to 400 vacancies,’ the president added.

‘They are being covered by agency staff or bank staff or people doing overtime, or some services are just under real pressure, and I do not think that is right.’

Deputy Brouard said he was still ‘seething’ over a requete led by Deputy Steve Falla, which he blamed for delaying the construction of new key worker housing in the grounds of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, which HSC wanted to see developed to help ease the staffing crisis, although it was immediately pointed out that the key proposals in the requete were defeated in the Assembly two years ago and never put into effect.

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez angered Deputy Brouard when she claimed that permanent staff did not want to live in the hospital grounds. He threatened to submit a code of conduct complaint against any member who repeated that claim.

Deputy Adrian Gabriel wanted to know if HSC had any plans to ease lengthy waiting lists in gastroenterology, which is one of the service areas where it has consistently failed to keep up with demand.

More than 800 patients were waiting for gastroenterology procedures last month, despite HSC carrying out more than ever before during 2023, including a summer blitz during which an off-island firm was brought over to see patients at weekends.

‘We have very regular discussions on waiting lists. We are just behind the curve all the time unfortunately,’ said Deputy Brouard.

‘We used some funds which we got from P&R [last year]. We will be seeking some further funds for other enterprises, but at the moment I do not think there are any plans to do anything extra on gastroenterology.'