The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
Dear Scrutiny members
When the States of Jersey Government did the various roadshows to the island regarding our choice of placement for the new hospital, not at one time was it mentioned that the Westmount Road needed to be altered to the extent that they are going to want to alter it. I went to several various roadshows, asked why it couldn't have been placed at the Waterfront and was told it was prime land for accommodation. Also, at the same time, I along with others could not obtain information on how high the proposed building would be, in fact the impression was given as no higher than 3 storeys as it would ruined the skyline. When asked about the costs, no one seemed to have any real ball park figure of the costs because the drawings had not been completed etc, so no figure could be given!
Now comes the bombshell; the eye watering costs of the project. I am trying to get my head around the fact that a French firm could build our new state of the art hospital for approximately 95 million just only a few years ago, and here we are, wanting to spend 10 times that figure, put at least 2 generations of islanders into debt at a time when the global economy, (Jersey included in this) is really uncertain. The States of Jersey are assuming and probably basing their assumptions on the fact that the Finance industry will still be here and in a strong position but as the world and no doubt big businesses have discovered, we can work from home anywhere in the world and save costs.
I am deeply concerned that we are going to have a hospital that is going to cost us £804.5 million but what has also not been said, is about the ongoing maintenance and how and who is going to foot the bill on this if we are putting our island (the younger generations) into such debt now. Buildings need constant maintenance and if we don't have the money because we are in such debt due to the build, how are we going to maintain this state of the art hospital?
We have acute staff shortages at the hospital now, and I believe there is a world wide staff shortage for medical staff so how is this new hospital going to be staffed?
Also, if we are having the Jersey Model of care where our own overstretched GP's are going to have to do a lot of the work the clinics would do, do we need such a big hospital at such high cost. It's not a trauma hospital as one would see in the UK where it covers a much bigger area than Jersey but a general hospital. We would be paying twice as well, once for the hospital build and again at the doctors to see them as it the services would become care in the community.
The hospital is in the wrong place all together. Build it at much lesser cost on the remaining land on the Waterfront, as recommended by consultants in the original consultation, do not build any more finance offices, let business use the already empty office space around St Helier. We do not want our present nor our future generations to have to pay off this eye watering debt.
Thank you Scrutiny for doing a great job of standing up to our Government, we need to know that someone is fighting for the public of Jersey. Keep up the good work.
Deborah Baudains