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2.5 Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the absence of internal expertise to conduct the study into Jersey's Health and Social Services:
Why was the expertise not available internally to conduct the study into Jersey's health and social services?
Deputy A.E. Pryke of Trinity (The Minister for Health and Social Services):
I cannot stress the importance of the strategic road map for the future of health and social care. The size and complexity of this review must not be underestimated, nor the fact that it is to be completed within a very short timescale. It would be unrealistic to expect existing officers to be tasked with this in addition to their already pressing daily work commitments. In addition, very specific financial and health modelling expertise is required and it would not make sense to employ, on a permanent basis, officers with such definitive skills for a task that is, essentially, a one-off. All senior officers and clinicians will, however, be working in partnership with the external consultants to support delivery of this crucial piece of work.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
Does the Minister not realise that the totally mixed message given out to people of trying to cut back £1,000 here and £1,000 there off voluntary organisations, for example, and yet managing to magic up £750,000 for a study has totally undermined our credibility in terms of managing government cutback?
The Deputy of Trinity :
I stress, again, that this health and social services review is vital and it is important for our future health as we go forward. As we know, and I have said many times, there are important issues which arise; ageing, staffing and recruitments, chronic long term illnesses, new medicines, treatment, et cetera, as well as our property portfolio. So, this must be done in the right way as we go forward and this expertise is crucial.
- Deputy G.P. Southern :
Does the Minister accept that she already has a robust template on which to progress changes to the Health Service in New Directions, or is she saying, today, that she has abandoned New Directions altogether?
The Deputy of Trinity :
New Directions was a piece of work, but it went only so far because of the lack of experience within our departments. As I have said in the original question, it is about health economy, health and social services economy and modelling and that is very important as we go ahead.
- Deputy G.P. Southern :
Supplementary, if I may? Can the Minister inform Members what elements were missing from New Directions that she is going to replace?
The Deputy of Trinity :
New Directions went so far and part of New Directions has been installed, like the
beginning of the carer strategy. It is mostly the financial modelling and how we age, our long term illnesses, cost of treatment, cost of medicines and that all needs to be worked out as we go ahead into the future.
- The Deputy of St. Mary :
I do not doubt the complexity of reviewing all the workings of Health and Social Services, but what I want to ask the Minister is; my understanding was that the new director appointed a number of new managers to manage the changes required within Health and Social Services. Could the Minister tell us how many people were employed to do that?
The Deputy of Trinity :
If I understand the Deputy correctly, he is talking about, perhaps, the Hospital Director and Director of Social Services. But the Hospital Director and the Director of Social Services are managing a department; managing an area within the Health and Social Services Department on a day-to-day basis. What I am talking about here -
and I really, again, must stress the importance of this - this is a strategic road map.
This will take us forward, take Jersey forward, Jersey's health and social care forward up to 2020 and that is not an easy task. Again, I must ask ... Sorry, I will stop there.
- Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire of St. Helier :
May I ask the Minister, in relation to this question, in the Daily Mail today it talks
about the huge cost of U.K. doctors' and nurses' salaries. If they were on a par with
other performing countries there might be increased life expectancy of 3 years for people in the U.K. Will this important body of work, that her department is about to undertake, investigate these issues in conjunction with the Social Security Department?
The Deputy of Trinity :
I have not had a chance to read the Daily Mail, and I can say that all issues will be
looked at and it is an important thing about staffing and recruitment, especially of
consultants, because, as we have said before, there is some specialisation and it is where we want to see health and social care move forward in the future.
- Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire:
May I ask a supplementary please? I would be happy to pass the newspaper to the Minister for her to get a better understanding of what I am asking, but I was referring to doctors in general - G.P.s (general practitioners) included - and that would obviously fall within the remit of social security. So what I was asking is her review going to cut across the Ministries?
The Deputy of Trinity :
Yes. Sorry, I did not pick up that point. Not only does it cut across Ministries, because there is a Ministerial oversight group of which the Chief Minister and the Minister for Social Security are part of too, but also, very importantly, the third sector and the different faith groups too and G.P.s, dentists, pharmacists - the whole lot.
- The Deputy of St. John :
I must ask; is the Minister up to speed with what has been going on in the last couple of weeks, given she has been off-Island. This House, 2 weeks ago, voted some £6.13 million to bail out her department. Is the money for this review, of £760,000, to come from that bailout?
The Deputy of Trinity :
I have been away but I do take my Blackberry with me a good thing or bad thing, I do not know. Regarding the Deputy 's question I can categorically say, no.
- Deputy A.E. Jeune of St. Brelade :
If I understood the Minister correctly, I believe she said that the problem with New
Directions is that there was a lack of expertise. If I have understood her correctly, can she explain why it has taken so long to identify that it has been dealt with by a lack of expertise?
The Deputy of Trinity :
No, I did not quite say that. New Directions is an important bit of work and it is still being used now and it will form part of this review, but it only went so far. Some of the points raised in New Directions have been put in place.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
Would the Minister not acknowledge that she has recruited a trio, and perhaps as others have said, of highly qualified managers, people who were meant to bring a strategic prospective to the whole operation and yet the first thing that is done is that whole task is contracted-out, at vast expense, to another agency. Is this right?
The Deputy of Trinity :
No, I do not agree. I definitely do not agree with that. Everyone has a part to play in this review and it is such an important review. The importance of it is health economy as well and we do not have that experience within Health and Social Services and quite rightly that we should not because this review is going to be a one- off.