The petition, which was launched on Friday and has more than 300 signatures so far, calls on the Government to commission an inspection by the UK Care Quality Commission of the General Hospital, Overdale and Orchard House “and all other services provided by Health and Community Services and should include buildings, services, policies, the Jersey Care Model and staff qualifications”.

Petitioner Jean Lelliot adds: “The inspection should extend to care in the community. The General Hospital may be operating in an unsafe environment and has not been fully independently inspected for very many years.

“This is contrary to anything which would be allowed in the UK or most places in the world. The people of Jersey deserve to know that they are getting the best services available.

“Partial inspections of a few departments are not good enough. Inspection should include governance and policies relating to follow on patient care after discharge.”

The petitioner is not the first to call for an independent inspection of health services.

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Pictured: The petition calls for all areas of health to be looked at, including care in the community.

Last month, a senior nurse told Express that there should be an independent review of rehabilitation services if the States Assembly did not support reopening Samarès Ward at Overdale, which used to provide them before they moved to Plémont Ward in May 2020.

A backbench proposition to restore rehab services fully to Samarès, or an equivalent location, was fully endorsed after the Government withdrew their opposition to it at the eleventh hour.