Mental health nurse to run for election

Monday 04 April 2022

A mental health nurse who says she is “concerned about the state of healthcare in the island” and the new hospital project has announced she is standing for election in St. Clement.

Barbara Ward, who has lived in the parish since 1989, has spent most of her professional life working in health, most recently worked on the covid vaccination programme at Fort Regent and in schools.

She arrived in Jersey in 1979, progressing from a student nurse to matron and senior nurse in mental health, then as a bank staff nurse in the area of elderly mental health since 2011.

Announcing her candidacy, Ms Ward said her key principles in relation to health are:

• The health service needs an independent inspection by the UK Care Quality Commission as soon as possible.

• There should be a two-site hospital, with Overdale developed as a non-acute facility with step-down beds, oncology services and rehabilitation back at Samarès and a refurbished General Hospital providing acute and emergency care.

• Invest in and build a “first-class community care service."

• Raising awareness of mental health issues among young people, particularly at parish level.

Outside of health, she would like to see a “comprehensive population programme”, updates to the tax programme “to reverse the double taxation of Social Security pensions”, more investment in arts and culture and a reduction of the island’s carbon footprint through the use of wind, water and solar power.

Elections will be taking place on Wednesday 22 June.