JERSEY has a ‘responsibility, duty and moral obligation’ to build the new hospital at Overdale ‘without further delay’, the politician leading the project has told business leaders.
Speaking at a Chamber of Commerce lunch yesterday, Senator Lyndon Farnham said that he believed the new hospital would be a ‘shining example of good healthcare’.
The project has been plagued by difficulties since it began in 2012, including a reversal of the initial decision to rebuild on the existing Gloucester Street site in 2019. The States Assembly last year approved an £800 million budget for the hospital to instead be built at Overdale.
The decision to build on the hilltop site at Westmount has proved controversial, however, with the community group Friends of Our New Hospital raising concerns over the cost, and the impact of the proposed access road on the natural environment.
Commenting on the much-criticised price tag, Senator Farnham said that it needed to be put in the context of its 40-year lifespan.
‘The costs have been carefully scrutinised by the project team, the political oversight group, government officers and by independent advisers appointed to ensure Jersey is getting the right hospital and receiving the best value for money,’ he said.
‘I would like to put the proposed hospital budget into some financial context. The current cost of running the health service is approximately £230 million per annum. That means that over the next 40 years we will spend somewhere between £15 to £20 billion in delivering our health services.
‘It is therefore essential that we make the right capital investment, informed by our financial experts and our clinicians, to create a purpose-built facility that can safely deliver £20 billion worth of health services and the care for future generations of Islanders.’
The final part of the planning process is due to handed over to the independent planning inspector in early April, before he delivers his report to the Environment Minister four to six weeks later.
The minister is expected to make a final decision in late May or early June on whether to proceed with the plans.
Senator Farnham said: ‘I believe it will attract and retain the very best medical professionals who, for the first time, can train and develop their skills without leaving the Island.
‘And it will mean those exceptional clinicians who come to teach the next generation of doctors and nurses can be on hand to provide healthcare to our Islanders at the same time.’
He added: ‘I believe we are so close to delivering something exceptional for Jersey. The vast majority of Islanders want us to get on with it.
‘We have a responsibility, a duty and a moral obligation to build this hospital without costly further delay which, subject to planning permission, we will succeed in doing.’
