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The Deputy Chief Minister has pledged that the "vast majority" of services moving from Overdale to the former Les Quennevais School will be accommodated in the new hospital - although a small number have reportedly asked not to, while others will be based in the community.
Senator Lyndon Farnham’s comments came during the States Assembly meeting yesterday following a question from Deputy Mary Le Hegarat.
The St. Helier representative had asked what health services which were due to be moved from Overdale to the former Les Quennevais School building, would not return in their current form following the completion of the new hospital.
Senator Farnham first said that all services currently provided from Overdale would be moved to the former school, with the exception of the pharmacy stores, Meals-on-Wheels and horticulture, the location of which he said was still to be decided, with further meetings planned this week.
Pictured: All services currently provided from Overdale will be moved to the former Les Quennevais School, with the exception of the pharmacy stores, Meals-on-Wheels and horticulture.
He went on to say that all services would then be accommodated in the new hospital in due course.
“Some have asked not to do that, and others will have a split service by design in line with the new Care Model and in line with the introduction of more community-facing services,” Senator Farnham said, before adding: “I would like to reassure Members and the public that the new hospital will be the pinnacle, the hub and the centre of healthcare in Jersey and will facilitate new models in the future."
However, Deputy Le Hegarat pointed out that planners' hospital brief didn’t reflect his assurances, with some of the services currently provided at Overdale absent from the document.
Pictured: There is no mention of the dental department and other services in the hospital brief.
In his answer, the Deputy Chief Minister admitted he wasn’t entirely familiar with the document, stating he would have to take another look at it.
He suggested Deputy Le Hegarat send him a list of the services she was referring to so that he could provide her with an answer directly.
“The vast majority of services going from Overdale to Les Quennevais will be going to the new hospital,” he then said.
“If she’s referring to services that are currently within the total health estate that will not be included, or may not be included in the Overdale site, then that needs to be a separate question. I will stipulate that the new hospital will be the centre, the hub of all health services for Jersey.”
Deputy Inna Gardiner pointed out that the design specification document differed from the list of services currently provided in the hospital, listing some that had been omitted. She therefore queried whether they would be in future operate from within the community, or the hospital.
Senator Farnham said he would prefer the Health Minister, Deputy Richard Renouf, answered the question “in due course”, pointing out he was the one with responsibility for what services would be delivered from the hospital or within the community.
Pictured: The Health Minister, Deputy Richard Renouf, will be the one deciding what services go into the hospital or into the community.
He said that in line with the new healthcare model, which has been approved by the States Assembly, some of the services would be based within the new hospital campus with other services being “better delivered and more efficiently delivered within the community."
“I can’t envisage any situation at all where any service provider will not be comfortably accommodated within one of those circumstances and in fact we hope, in the new hospital which will be an exemplar of modern healthcare, to be able to introduce additional services to those we already offer,” he added.
“Every health service we have now will be facilitated in the infrastructure that will be provided, whether that is in the new hospital campus or within the community, I can confirm that.
“We don’t know exactly yet what will be community facing, what will be split services based at the hospital and in the community and what will move directly to the community, that’s a work in progress and that’s being led by the Health Minister and his team.
“I just want to reiterate that all of the services and hopefully new services will be included in either in the hospital campus or within the community infrastructure.
“Every single service that is provided now will be provided, will have a new provision in the new health estate, the pinnacle of which will be our new hospital.”
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