The ‘Friends’ describe themselves as “group of passionate and dedicated people” whose objective is to “exchange information and to advance suggestions regarding the development of the Island’s health facilities”.
Last night’s gathering at the RJAHS was primarily to share concerns about the way the Government is running the ‘Our Hospital’ project and its strategy for future health provision, set out in its ‘Jersey Care Model’, which puts a greater emphasis on care in the community.
Pictured: Around 200 islanders attended last night’s meeting.
Sir Philip was one of a number of speakers to criticise the current Government’s plan to build a new hospital at Overdale, which it says will cost up to £804m and be open in 2026.
“Having been in government myself, I do appreciate the difficulty of distinguishing white noise – the clamour made by a small minority of disaffected individuals, from genuine discontent and serious concerns on the part of most of the public,” he said.
“I accept that it is not always easy to make that distinction. I can only say that hardly anyone to whom I have spoken thinks that Overdale is the right place to build a hospital.
“The site selection arrangements were a cynical and indefensible travesty of democratic process. It is disappointing that the States succumbed to the Government’s insistence and agreed to approve the site at Overdale.
“The question is, ‘What, if anything, can now be done?’ I do not know the answer to that question.
“I do know that an informed public debate about the Jersey Care Modeland its implications for primary care and hospital treatments, about exactly what kind of hospital we are going to get, and the environmental and financial consequences of building a hospital at Overdale is long overdue.”
“The Government should recognise that fact and share its thinking on this, the largest and most important investment of public money ever undertaken in Jersey.”
Pictured: The Friends of Our New Hospital are critical of plans to realign Westmount Road, which will be the primary access route to and from Overdale.
Sir Philip referred to dissatisfaction voiced recently by St. Helier parishioners about changes to Westmount Road and the unresolved issue of where the Jersey Bowling Club will move to as evidence that “something had gone badly wrong”.
“Surely the club’s premises could have been settled before the States decided on Overdale?” he said. “Surely, they could have decided how many people would lose their homes before the debate?
“There is a carelessness and an ignorance of Jersey values about the whole hospital project which are deeply disturbing.
“This is not how things should be done nor how we should be feeling about a project which ought to be uniting Islanders in enthusiasm.”
Other speakers included Westmount resident Tamara Vanmeggelen, who criticised the planned “super highway” to and from Overdale, and the lack of “valid reason for the destructive road proposal; Stephen Regal, who criticised the “staggering” cost of the new hospital and the Government’s arrangements with the main contractor; and Graham Bisson, who gave a personal account of supporting his wife following a stroke, which he said highlighted serious failings in provision of care.
Afterwards, Peter Funk, the group’s interim Chair, said that he was “delighted” with the attendance and the audience’s reception of the group’s work.
The ‘Friends’ also shared a number of ‘proposals’ which it would like the Government to follow.
These include removing Warwick Farm and St. Saviour’s Hospital from the draft Island Plan until, if and when Overdale is granted planning permission, and asking that demolition of buildings does not begin until all services currently provided there are transferred to the former Les Quennevais School.
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