New hospital – “It’s a heavy responsibility on my shoulders”

Friday 02 December 2016

The new £466million hospital is coming and Health Minister Andrew Green admits he feels the weight of history as Jersey’s government is about to embark on its most expensive project ever.

Five years after plans for the new hospital were first discussed, it has now got the green light and Senator Green could not be happier following yesterday’s States vote.

“It is a fantastic project for the Island and above all, for the community, but yes, of course I feel it is my responsibility and I won’t forget that.

“In life, if you want something to work, you have to make it work and believe me, there will be a lot of work between now and the new hospital actually being built.”

That finish date seems a long way off right now. In fact, it will be around 2024 when the hospital is finally complete and it’s another two years before the first brick is even laid.

He said: “That is all about preparation and good preparation is everything in a project like this.

“We genuinely can leave no stone unturned. It is the public’s money we are spending and although I am absolutely convinced we are spending it for the best of reasons, it is down to me and the health department to make sure everything is right. Yes, it is a heavy responsibility on my shoulders.”

In the end, the hospital vote in the States assembly was almost unanimous, a fact which Senator Green says underlines nearly five years of diligent consultation and preparation.

“It gives me enormous confidence that the States were so convinced that the present site is the best location for the new hospital. I’m delighted about that.

“A lot of that backing is down to Senator Alan Maclean and his team at the treasury as they have come up with a really imaginative funding scheme for the hospital. By using a bond issue and the strategic fund I feel we are having our cake and eating it.

“I’m really confident that the project will be a huge success. Along the way there will be plenty of opportunity for the public to air their views, just as they have throughout the consultation period, and I believe in my heart of hearts this is a really good day for the community of Jersey. It will transform health care in the Island and I feel immensely proud we have now got the go ahead for something which is desperately needed.”

One aspect which is not high on Senator Green’s agenda is whether the new hospital is to have a new name.

“I’m open to suggestions, but perhaps the current name should be kept,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t have any firm opinions on that so I could be persuaded. I’m fairly traditional and I think everyone knows it as Jersey General, so why change it, but I am happy to be persuaded otherwise.

“The main thing is, it is now going ahead. The clock can now start ticking and that, to me, makes me immensely proud and happy. In years and generations to come, we can say, it all started here.”