THE Island’s 25-year-old phototherapy machine is set to be replaced next month in a bid to restart the dermatology treatment suspended in the pandemic.
Almost £38,000 was transferred from the E. J. Bailhache Charitable Fund in September for the purchase of a replacement phototherapy unit for Jersey General Hospital.
Health Minister Tom Binet confirmed this week that the machine is scheduled to arrive at the end of March.
“A workforce plan is being developed to ensure the service can begin as soon as possible once the machine is installed,” he added.
Deputy Binet was responding to a written question from Deputy Jonathan Renouf, who asked for an update on Jersey’s phototherapy service, including when new equipment was due to arrive and when the service would be started again.
Phototherapy is a form of dermatology treatment that uses artificial ultraviolet (UV) light to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and vitiligo. It can also be used to treat babies who are suffering from newborn jaundice.
Jersey’s phototherapy service was first suspended in March 2020 in response to the Covid pandemic – and has not re-opened since.
In 2024, the government said that there were “both staffing and equipment matters to be addressed before the service can be reinstated”.
It later emerged that two bids for funding to replace the 25-year-old phototherapy machine were unsuccessful as “other, more critical equipment had to be prioritised”.
Deputy Binet then approved the transfer of £37,715 from the E. J. Bailhache Charitable Fund, which was was set up “for the general welfare of persons elderly, and/or blind or sick at the General Hospital”, to enable the purchase of the machine.
The dermatology department has faced ongoing issues in recent years – with one of the longest wait lists in the health service.
In 2024, it was announced that a full review of the dermatology service was to be undertaken after it emerged that more than 750 patients have been waiting over six months for a first appointment.
But last year, the Health Advisory Board – a group of experts brought in to drive progress in Jersey’s Health Department – found that there had been “significant improvements in dermatology, attributed to leadership and the addition of a new consultant”.
