‘Four or five sites’ on hospital shortlist

‘Four or five sites’ on hospital shortlist

Last week, States Members voted to rescind the decision to build on Gloucester Street – leaving the project without a preferred site.

And while the terms of the new selection process are still to be decided by ministers, Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis confirmed that a shortlist of ‘four or five’ sites would be up for discussion, rather than going back to square one.

An initial 2012 survey of 41 possible options was drawn up before the sites were whittled down to a 13-strong longlist. Five sites were eventually identified and are thought to be back on the table – Overdale, the Waterfront, Warwick Farm, St Saviour’s Hospital and the existing hospital site, which could still be selected as the chosen option despite last week’s States vote.

Meanwhile, a recent freedom of information request has revealed that a senior civil servant criticised Health Minister Richard Renouf for cherry-picking parts of feedback from healthcare professionals to support the argument for building on Gloucester Street and suggested that ‘the views of people at the coal face are never listened to’.

Chief Minister John Le Fondré recently confirmed that an ‘engagement programme’ involving States Members looking at alternative sites had begun and that a meeting would be held next month to discuss the future of the multi-million-pound project.

Deputy Lewis said: ‘We are yet to meet and discuss the next steps, but we are not going to go back that far.

‘It will probably be down to about four or five sites. With the hospital, we have taken [things] one step back to before authorising the General Hospital as the preferred site – we were already down to a shortlist at that time.

‘We will be meeting with ministerial colleagues and with States Members soon.’

One site that will not be up for discussion, despite at one time being shortlisted and believed to be former Health Minister Andrew Green’s preferred option, is the People’s Park. The States narrowly approved proposals from St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft to protect the park – as well as Parade Gardens, Victoria Park, the Lower Park and Westmount Gardens – from development.

In a redacted email to Deputy Renouf sent last December, a health professional suggested that staff within the service were not being listened to.

The email, which does not reveal the member of staff’s name, says: ‘Listening and reading your views in the media regarding your stance to build on the current site I see strongly that you quote from the medical professionals concerned about the current conditions in the hospital at present and how it is affecting the healthcare of us all.

‘However I don’t hear anything from you that the same medical professionals are also extremely against building on the current site because of the effect it will have on patient medical health care and recovery time.

‘All of this has been expressed by Mr [Miklos] Kassai, the senior consultant who is held in such high regard by many of us here in Jersey and is a pioneer in his field.

‘As always, it appears that politicians will only use parts of what they hear to support their personal preferences and fail to listen to the professional individuals and in this case the medical profession.’

The author of the email added that a French firm – which claims it can build a new hospital in Jersey for less than a fifth of the current forecasted cost – should be brought in as part of the assessment team and also thanked the Health Minister for his ‘hard work, commitment and loyalty’.

In response, Deputy Renouf said there had been no evidence to suggest the £466-million budget was ‘out of range’, but added that if the possibility of building at an estimated cost of around £90 million could be shown to be realistic, then ‘of course I would want to develop that option’.

He added: ‘I appreciate your interest and can assure you that I and my officers in Health and Community Services are listening to consultants and staff. Indeed, we are changing to ensure we receive far more clinical input into the decisions we make.

‘Like so many groups of people there are diverse views among consultants and staff about the location of a new hospital. I have heard many of them. But virtually all want to improve their services in a modern, fit-for-purpose hospital – which our present hospital is not.

‘I have to express serious concern that we go back to square one and wait ten years before we can move to a new hospital. I have to worry about risks to patients.’

A total of £41 million has been spent on the current project – at least £27 million of which will have to be written off with a change of site.

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