Politician needs a little xmas elf...and safety

Thursday 14 December 2017

One of Jersey's senior politicians is going to need one of Santa's little helpers this Christmas, after falling off a ladder while putting up his festive lights.

It meant Senator Paul Routier needed crutches to get into the States Chamber this week to debate funding for a new hospital....just after his fellow patients had taken the opportunity to give him some first-hand advice.

Senator Routier fell off a tree in his garden while putting his lights up. He told Express, "...it happened last Saturday week (...) the ladder collapsed on me and I fell three or four foot. I couldn’t get up, but I eventually managed to attract attention by ringing the doorbell of my house to get back in."

He was taken to Jersey's Accident and Emergency department where he was diagnosed with a ruptured achilles tendon. It was operated on the following morning and now the Minister will spend the next six to eight weeks in a plaster cast and on crutches, which he lightheartedly described as, "..rather annoying."

Well we were going to see @AlfieBoe tonight in Bournemouth however it has not worked out. Had an unexpected operation for ruptured Achilles’ tendon. Moral of the story avoid ladders and Christmas lights. Well looked after by great staff #futurehospital #lotstomaketopauline pic.twitter.com/Bh5a4v90jE

— Paul F Routier MBE (@PRoutier) December 3, 2017

The fall has meant Senator Routier gets out of putting the rest of the Christmas lights up in his garden, with only a quarter of them are on the tree - which he hopes, "... one of my family will finish it for me."

But it also means the keen table-tennis player has missed two league matches and won’t be fit in time to play inter-insular match in May. 

When asked if he was going to use his recent experience in the hospital funding debate, he laughed and said, "...probably yes.

"I was in a six-bedded ward with other gentlemen and it didn’t take them long to tell me about the disturbed night they’d had the night before, as there was a patient which was a bit disruptive so they had no sleep. They recognised me straight away and they took the opportunity to tell me their feelings about the subject so that was useful."

After a long week in the States, the Assistant Chief Minister plans to put his feet up over Christmas.

"I’ve got every excuse now to put my feet up and everybody can bring me my food and drink."