Scrutiny calls for ‘urgent updates’ on new hospital

Royal Court swearing in of States Members. Senator Kristina Moore Picture: ROB CURRIE

In an open letter to the politician spearheading the project, Deputy Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, the Future Hospital Review Panel has called for ‘urgent updates’ on areas such as sustainable travel, engagement with the public and the timetable for the project.

The panel, chaired by Senator Kristina Moore, has been seeking to hold Senator Farnham and fellow ministers to account over the proposed £800 million project to construct the hospital at Overdale.

Senator Moore said her panel ‘unreservedly refuted’ comments by Senator Farnham in a television interview last month accusing the panel of being disingenuous and unco-operative.

‘This panel, and indeed all Scrutiny panels, takes its role extremely seriously and is focused on scrutinising government policy and decisions on behalf of the electorate and in the best interests of governance,’ Senator Moore wrote. ‘The Future Hospital Review Panel has been elected to hold the Council of Ministers and the Deputy Chief Minister to account for this hugely important project and we will continue to do so.’

Efforts to scrutinise had been significantly compromised, Senator Moore added, as a result of ministers bringing the debate on the access route to the Overdale site forward by a week at short notice.

Among the areas of concern highlighted by the panel were:

lAn update on the timetable for work had been requested, but not yet provided, with no opportunity for the panel to participate in a recent briefing regarding proposed changes to the access route.

lDoubt as to whether the government would meet the terms of the panel’s amendment to the original proposition for Overdale about the need to report back to the States Assembly by the end of March.

lConfirmation about which services would be provided at the new hospital at Overdale, and which may be moved to alternative locations.

lDetails about the proposed ‘decanting’ of services from Overdale to the old Les Quennevais School site before construction starts.

lA demand for a ‘green travel plan’ covering access to and from the hospital via sustainable means, with a recent travel survey being too late and lacking in necessary detail.

lThe lack of consultation carried out during the access-route stage of the project.

lThe question of whether public money would be used to partly finance a private patient facility on the new site.

Senator Moore’s colleagues on the panel are Constable Mike Jackson, Deputy Inna Gardiner, Deputy Rob Ward and Deputy Mary Le Hegarat.

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