PLANS for the future use of Kensington Place and Gloucester Street area are being revisited after delays in the progression of the Island’s new hospital meant that key planning documents are now out of date.
Health Minister Tom Binet confirmed that the Functional Brief setting out what services would be delivered from the proposed Ambulatory Facility at Kensington Place would have to be reviewed and updated.
The Functional Brief, which sets out plans for the site, was originally prepared in 2022 following confirmation of the four main components of the New Healthcare Facilities Programme: the Acute Hospital at Overdale, the Ambulatory Facility at Kensington Place, the Health Village at St Saviour, and the Enid Quenault Health and Wellbeing Centre at the former Les Quennevais School.
But this week, Deputy Tom Binet said: “Given the time elapsed since then, and recognising the continual evolution of healthcare, especially digital healthcare, it has been essential to review and agree any changes in clinical requirements or service configuration needed to best support the health needs of the people of Jersey.”
As a result, the health services to be delivered from the Kensington Place Ambulatory Facility are “yet to be fully confirmed.”
Officials are currently reviewing clinical requirements and service models to ensure they reflect updated demand and capacity forecasts, according to the minister.
This work will inform a revised Functional Brief and may also require changes to the site’s Development Control Plan, which together will define the scope of services to be provided from the facility.
“This work is well underway,” added Deputy Binet. “Over the last six months, over 100 meetings have taken place between the New Healthcare Facilities Programme team and more than 380 Health and Care Jersey colleagues, as well as wider stakeholders.
“This is to ensure that that all services have been reviewed and that the demand and capacity modelling is appropriately updated.”
Consideration of any non-health related uses for the Kensington Place site is also ongoing as part of the same review of the Functional Brief and Development Control Plan.
Deputy Binet added: “We have undertaken workshops with key strategic leaders within Health and Care Jersey and the wider healthcare system to understand any changes which have taken place since 2022 that might impact the planned requirements.
“No final decisions have been taken at this stage.”
In response to questions about the absence of temporary or “meanwhile” uses, the minister said that the site is already being used to support the operation of the existing Jersey General Hospital – including for the storage of clinical supplies, equipment for refurbishment projects and operational vehicle parking.
Additional meanwhile uses may be developed, but these are still being assessed “to avoid abortive costs and also so that the permanent uses are not jeopardised by temporary uses”.
Deputy Binet added that the New Healthcare Facilities Programme team has been “focused primarily on the Common Strategic Priority of starting construction of the Acute Hospital at Overdale”.
The minister was also asked if the government was planning to sell or hand over any part of the the Kensington Place site.
He responded: “This remains yet to be determined, and no formal decisions have been made at this stage.”
