NURSES in Jersey remain unable to issue medical certificates for sick leave – despite being authorised to do so in the UK over three years ago.
In Jersey, medical certificates can currently only be issued by a Jersey-registered medical practitioner, including a GPs and consultants.
In the UK, registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists were authorised to issue medical certificates in July 2022 to reduce pressure on GPs and improve waiting times for patients.
In the States Assembly yesterday, Deputy Inna Gardiner asked the Social Security Minister to confirm what consideration had been given to allowing nurses to take on this responsibility in Jersey too.
In response, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham said: “At this stage, my team has not yet started to consider the expansion of medical certification to a wider group of health professionals.
“However, this type of expansion is well aligned with the ongoing expansion of Primary Health Care Health roles and will be considered at an appropriate time.
“Work would be needed to create the process for authorising a range of healthcare professionals to issue, including identifying appropriate qualifications, governance and clinical oversight, and record keeping.”
When asked by Deputy Gardiner to clarify a timeline for the change, the minister said she was “not able to commit to a date at present” as “no work has been planned”.
But Deputy Feltham said “there is ongoing work around the expansion of primary care services”, adding that she is “keen” to “ensure that our primary care services are efficient and effective as possible and providing the very best care to our Islanders”.
