'Leaner' service will risk future health of islanders
YOUR editorial on 2 January says: 'And then there is health. Having thrown money at the problem it is time to make good on the promise of a new leaner organisation which does the same excellent job at a greatly reduced cost.' Money has not been 'thrown at health'. In 2010 the spend of the department was £107,685,000. If that had kept up with inflation it would now be £128,979,000, £10m. more than it actually is. Keeping up with medical inflation and the increasing number of elderly people requiring medical treatment would have meant an even higher figure.
The department has been allowed an increase in its budget to try and improve its efficiency but any increase in productivity will be swallowed up by the increasing demand for services.
The hospital has half of the doctors that would be expected based on UK figures and half of the doctors that are employed in Jersey. It is now common for doctors in the PEH to work over 70 hours a week to cope with the workload.
We have far fewer permanent nurses than we should have and have only coped by extensive use of expensive agency staff, increasing demands on permanent staff and by closing over 20 beds.
A report on the A&E department in 2010 said that it was not safe to have only one doctor working in the department but this is still often the case.
The Health and Social Services Department has refused to allow the appointment of two additional orthopaedic surgeons, which were recommended in 2012. It has delayed the replacement of retired medical staff, thus increasing the shortage.
It refused to carry out a review of medical services provided by the MSG in 2014, which would almost certainly have recommended the appointment of additional staff.
The department urgently needs to appoint more permanent doctors, nurses and other health professionals. The pay of nurses and their conditions of work need to be urgently improved or we will increasingly lose their goodwill.
Virtually all of the radiological equipment is on the department's risk register and needs replacing.
To expect savings and the service to run leaner will only increase waiting times and put at risk the future health of Guernsey people.
DEPUTY MIKE HADLEY,
La Rocque, La Bouvee,
St Martin's, GY4 6BQ.
