The cost of accommodating Jersey patients sent to Southampton for treatment rose by almost a third last year, reaching nearly £740,000 – as Health faces pressure to review “generous” travel support for Islanders.
Figures released under the Freedom of Information Law show that accommodation spending reached £739,478 in 2025, up from £560,612 in 2024.
The increase of almost £179,000 – or 32% – outstripped a rise in the number of nights booked, which increased by around 17%, from 2,974 to 3,467.
The findings come after Health Advisory Board chair Carolyn Downs questioned whether the department could continue to afford its existing travel packages.
During the board’s most recent meeting, she described travel costs as “quite generous”, adding: “Given our financial position, we really do need to think about it, don’t we?”
Most of the Southampton accommodation spending went to the Corporate Housing Partnership, which received £686,025 in 2025, compared with £481,805 the previous year. Nights booked through the provider rose from 2,023 to 2,711.
Premier Inn was the next-largest provider by expenditure, with its bill falling from £44,490 to £40,200.
Across both years, Southampton accommodation cost the department £1.3 million for 6,441 nights.
Health said the accommodation charges were invoiced as a whole, “inclusive of any additional services that may have been provided”.
The department has previously confirmed that negotiations were under way with its Southampton accommodation provider, including over additional charges such as cleaning costs.
Contracts with Southampton providers were also identified for review ahead of renewal at the end of the year.
Head of access Emily Hoban told the board that alternative providers were being considered through a tender process.
“There’s a whole array of taxi costs and train travel costs that we’re also reviewing,” she said.
The rise in Southampton accommodation spending contrasts with a fall in the department’s overall off-Island care bill, which dropped from £25 million in 2024 to £19 million in 2025.
That total includes flights, medical evacuations, treatment and accommodation.
Around 60% of off-Island services relate to cardiac and cancer care, while paediatrics also accounts for a significant proportion, the board heard.
Health Minister Tom Binet previously abandoned proposals to make the richest 30% of patients contribute towards, or fully cover, their travel and accommodation costs.
The proposals were expected to save around £265,000 annually, but he said the “amount of angst” they caused outweighed the “relatively small amount of money” that would be saved.
