EXTRA funding for Jersey Cheshire Home has been welcomed by the organisation’s chairman.
Jim Hopley reached an agreement with Health Minister Tom Binet to ensure the “necessary additional funding” to support the charity’s work next year, after financial challenges threatened its future.
In a joint statement, Mr Hopley and Deputy Binet said that the funding for the home, the Island’s only residential facility for adults with disabilities, would “hopefully be achieved in a manner that avoids impacting the Health and Community Services budget for the year”.
The statement also confirmed that the Health Minister, alongside Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham, had pledged to establish a longer-term funding solution for charities handling the most complex medical cases.
The work is expected to be completed by the middle of next year, “possibly 30 June”.
The move follows a proposed amendment by Deputy Inna Gardiner to the government’s Budget asking for a one-off “bridging grant” of £200,000 for the charity.
Deputy Gardiner highlighted the financial pressures facing the home, with operating expenses surging by 15% between 2021 and 2023 due to inflation, increased staffing costs and maintenance expenses.
In the report accompanying her proposal, Deputy Gardiner said it would cost the Health Department as much as £9 million to deliver the services provided by the residential facility, which she said was facing “significant financial challenges”.
She also warned that, if Jersey Cheshire Home was unable to sustain its current level of care, more pressure would be placed on the Hospital.
However, Deputy Gardiner’s amendment was ultimately withdrawn after the Health Minister pledged to provide the funding.
