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WQ.15/2021
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE ASSISTANT CHIEF MINISTER BY DEPUTY M. R. LE HEGARAT OF ST. HELIER
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 25th JANUARY 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2021
Question
Will the Assistant Chief Minister state what consideration, if any, has been given to returning to a two-site option for the proposed Future Hospital, given the pandemic has demonstrated the vulnerability of largely single site hospital operation; and is it the Minister's assessment that the separation of services to allow for isolation in the event of future pandemics or other operational needs, thereby allowing a continuance of business as usual, is a strategic imperative?
Answer
We are not considering a two-site option for Our Hospital. This is because there are significant logistical, staffing and cost challenges when working across more than one site. These challenges include:
• Operating over multiple sites would result in splitting the clinical adjacencies which support hospital facilities to operate efficiently and provide business continuity during normal' times as well as during emergencies such as a pandemic
• Equipping multiple sites with often expensive equipment – for example x-ray and other diagnostic machines – and the associated maintenance
• Staffing multiple sites presents both cost and recruitment challenges and Jersey already experiences challenges in recruiting to many professional groups
A single-site option was overwhelmingly supported by professional groups of clinical staff in user group meetings.