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22.04.25
11 Deputy G.P. Southern of the Minister for Social Security regarding the value of
medical benefit paid for GP consultations (OQ.69/2022)
Will the Minister advise why the value of medical benefit paid from the Health Insurance Fund for G.P. consultations (currently set at £20.28) has not been uprated since 2012, and why any changes since the benefit's inception (when the cost of consultations was split 50/50 between patient and government) have not been linked to the retail prices index or the health costs index?
Deputy J.A. Martin (The Minister for Social Security):
The way in which healthcare is provided has changed considerably since the 1960s and over the last 10 years there have been significant steps to modernise the way primary care is funded with the introduction of other types of payments, alongside medical benefit. New funding had included J.Q.I.F. (Jersey Quality Improvement Framework), which is worth £1.8 million a year to general practitioners and other contracts and services like flu vaccinations, serviceable screening, which is free to the customer and telephone consultations and health access scheme where at least 11,000 people on income support pay £12 appointment. My officers meet regularly with the G.P.s and the primary care body to discuss and develop the primary care services which will support Islanders to achieve better health outcomes.
3.11.1 Deputy G.P. Southern :
Will the Minister bring to the States a report detailing the new methods of funding, as compared to the 50/50 funding that existed 10 years ago, in order that we may understand what has happened to funding of our primary healthcare?
Deputy J.A. Martin:
I think that is a job for the new Minister. The Minister for Health and Social Services has undertaken a wide health review, looking at funding options and healthcare cost and for the potential of new health access schemes. There is lots and lots going on but this Minister will not have time to go back to 1960 and assess all the different ups and downs from there but lots has happened in the last 10 years, as explained in my first answer.