A PANEL of clinical experts will be tasked with making “difficult choices based on evidence, clinical effectiveness and value for money” to streamline the health service amid increasing cost pressures.
The Health Department has this morning confirmed that certain treatments and interventions for Islanders’ future healthcare will be “prioritised”.
Public health director Peter Bradley and deputy medical director Dr John McInerney will be part of the decision-making panel, alongside the Chief Pharmacist, the Health Department’s Finance Director, and a GP representative.
Recommendations from the panel will go to the advisory board with the ultimate say lying with Health Minister Tom Binet and his ministerial team, while an appeals procedure will enable Islanders or GPs to challenge decisions that have been made.
Deputy Binet said he anticipated the entire evaluation process would take five years, tying in with the anticipated opening of the island’s new Hospital at Overdale.
The removal of varicose veins for cosmetic reasons and taking out tonsils are examples of areas where treatment may no longer be free, according to Dr McInerney.
He said: “No-one who’s got a treatment planned or is on a waiting list will see any change, but going forwards we’ve got a policy that will make it more transparent to both patients and GPs what treatments are funded.
“It gives the GP and patients a bit more understanding what our health system will fund, and it makes it much more easier for everyone to plan.”
In setting up the new prioritisation policy, Jersey will move away – in some cases – from UK guidelines established by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
During a briefing on healthcare funding, it was pointed out the international forecasts showed that health spending would grow twice as fast as government revenue over the next 15 years, while the NHS in the UK had a forecast deficit of £6.6 billion for 2025.
Specific Jersey issues include a rise in the cost of referring patients to the UK from 11.7m to £18.7m between 2015 and 2024, and a 70% rise in the cost of adult mental health placements in the UK.
Last week, as part of the government’s Budget proposals, it was announced that penalties for patients who fail to attend hospital appointments and charges for inappropriate use of the Emergency Department could come into force if States Members approve the financial plan in December.
