A PROGRAMME to “prioritise” future healthcare treatment could exacerbate inequities affecting some Islanders and cause longer waits for treatment, according to a Scrutiny panel chair.
After Health Minister Tom Binet shared details of the prioritisation policy which his department will use as a way of tackling an ongoing funding crisis, Health and Social Security Panel chair Deputy Louise Doublet demanded great clarity about how the scheme would work.
“I’m concerned that existing health inequities might be further entrenched by this new policy,” she said. “When I questioned the minister on this at our recent hearing , we were told that there hasn’t been any consultation with local stakeholders to try and identify the inequities and make sure the impact of the this policy is mitigated.”
Deputy Doublet said that potential inequities identified by Public Health included poor outcomes for Islanders on lower incomes, those with disabilities, women and members of ethnic minorities.
The St Saviour representative added: “My other concern is there may be longer waits for treatment, and that that’s going to have an impact on people’s health more generally, and could lead to a burden on other services and increase costs elsewhere, potentially creating more of a cost than a saving.”
The minister and his officials must provide more details, Deputy Doublet said.
She added: “This is something that seems to be of great concern to the public – people are not clear on how it’s going to impact them.
“So we’re going to be seeking clarity on what the impact will be, what the timelines are for this change, and how people can appeal any decisions made around their treatment.”
The Scrutiny chair’s comments follow concern from former Health Minister Ben Shenton, now chair of Age Concern, about “unintended and potentially dire consequences” of attempts to balance the budget in Health.
Mr Shenton said proposed fees for those attending the Emergency Department with everyday healthcare matters could lead to some older Islanders delaying their treatment.
The government has said that the proposed new health fees, which also included a penalty for those failing to attend hospital appointments, were intended to change behaviours, not raise revenue.
The Budget states: “Given the scale of the pressures faced in [Health], steps need to be taken now to protect our frontline healthcare services.
“This includes bringing forward new fees to be introduced during 2026 to help promote behavioural changes and reduce wasteful use of resources.”
The proposed 2026-2029 Budget includes plans for £381m of spending on healthcare next year – a rise of almost a fifth on 2024.
More than £60m – £15.6m a year until 2029 – was also earmarked to plug the department’s long-running deficit.
