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2024.04.30
3.15 Deputy H.L. Jeune of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding funding for palliative care (OQ.87/2024)
Will the Minister advise if sufficient funding will be provided for palliative care in the Island before the implementation of any assisted dying legislation, and if not, why not?
Deputy T. Binet (The Minister for Health and Social Services):
In 2023, the States Assembly agreed as part of the Government Plan to spend an additional between £2 million and £3 million per year on end of life and domiciliary care services in Jersey, thereby driving improvements in the quality of palliative care and end of life care in advance of decisions being taken in the Assembly on assisted dying. The money is supporting the delivery of Jersey’s Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy, which is already helping to drive improvements to the services. At the point at which a draft Assisted Dying Law is presented to the Assembly, Members will be asked to agree that the law should not be brought into force until the Assembly is satisfied that the additional monies are delivering improvements in those services. If this cannot be evidenced, it would be for the Assembly to determine if more money should be provided to support these services. Furthermore, as explained in the assisted dying proposals, consideration is being given to bringing forward a new statutory duty requiring palliative care and end-of-life care to be provided by the Minister for Health and Social Services. It is envisaged that this statutory duty would form part of the proposed Adult Safeguarding Law, which is currently in development.
3.15.1 Deputy H.L. Jeune :
We heard from the Minister that £2 million to £3 million has already been invested in 2023. Is the Minister aware that palliative care is only available for 5 days a week, and does he think this is an acceptable level of service?
Deputy T. Binet :
I was not aware that that was the case, and I am not entirely sure that it is. If that is the case, then it is not ideal, but that money is in the process of being spent and the improvements are being made on an ongoing basis. We are not at the point at which that money has been fully invested.