Update on A New Way Forward

WQ.75/2019

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY R. LABEY OF ST. HELIER

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 12th FEBRUARY 2019

Question

With regard to Health and Social Services: A New Way Forward' (P.82/2012), adopted by the Assembly on 23rd October 2012, what percentage of the objectives detailed have been delivered in accordance with the timeline target; what percentage are late on delivery; what is the estimated time of delivery of any such objectives; and what explanation does the Minister have for any late or non-delivery?

Answer

In agreeing Health and Social Services: A New Way Forward' (P.82/2012), the Assembly agreed that:

• A substantial programme of change and investment was needed to develop safe health and care services for Jersey that are sustainable and affordable for the States of Jersey and for service users.
• Services should support people to live longer, healthier lives by focusing on prevention and keeping people healthy, rather than treating illness.
• By providing care closer to or in the home we could reduce unnecessary emergency admissions to reduce pressure on the acute hospital as our community's demographic changes.

That investment was necessary – budgets for health and care have risen from £171m in 2012 to £211m in 2017 and this trend is expected to continue. P.82/2012 has also created the right environment for change through strong partnerships with GPs, pharmacists, community and voluntary providers.

In accordance with the timeline target, a number of preventive services have been introduced that keep people healthy or delay more serious illness. Many of these services are delivered in the community or in people's homes. These are services that:

• Promote healthy lifestyles
• Support children in their early years
• Support people with mental health problems
• Look after our community as they age and live with more complex health and care needs

These are services that would not be in place without the investment enabled by P.82/2012 and that are beginning to realise benefits in terms of hospital bed capacity and reduction in average length of stay.

This growing infrastructure of services based in our community will continue to support Jersey's acute hospital services to care for those people who are at their most vulnerable and in need of care due to serious illness.

The sunray diagram affixed to this answer details objectives that have been delivered as part of P.82/2012 and those that are yet to be delivered. The diagram illustrates that approximately 65% of those objectives have been delivered.

In terms of the overall vision, it has been a challenge to move from strategy to implementation, make an overall shift of care from hospital to the community and primary care and replicate worthwhile pilot studies on a larger scale.

There is still progress to be made on digital modernisation due to complexities around systems integration, information sharing and data protection and there is still progress to be made on sustainable funding arrangements for health and social care.

There has also been significant debate about the site of the Future Hospital, which has consumed substantial amounts of attention at the expense of service development. The result of the ongoing debate (which is a matter for this Assembly) will be that a new hospital is unlikely to be built in the timelines originally envisaged.

The department for Health and Community Services considers both the delivery of the vision of P.82/2012 and the provision of a new hospital for Jersey to be an ongoing priority.