Health committee has more than 400 staff vacancies

Deputy Al Brouard said there was a need for agency staff to cover vacancies to ensure the safe running of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital

New figures show Guernsey's Health Committee currently has 411 staff vacancies.

Health and Social Care (HSC) has budgeted for 2,262 employees.

The difficulty filling the vacancies was blamed by HSC President Al Brouard on "pressures around accommodation".

He said his committee had been relying on agency staff to "bridge the gap" and ensure "a safe standard of care".

Deputy Al Brouard told his colleagues the most important factor blocking the hiring of more permanent staff was the availability of accomodation

Earlier this year at a scrutiny hearing, HSC blamed the committee's budgetary problems on the high cost of agency staff.

A review earlier this year found on average agency staff were paid 30% more than permanent staff.

Mr Brouard said: "If existing agency staff we used in the first five months of the year were replaced with permanent staff for the rest of the year, £4m would be saved."

He added that "a full compliment of permanent staff is desirable but highly unlikely".

Deputy Sam Haskins questioned the impact the allowance agency staff were given for rent was having on the island's housing market.

He warned the current policy from the States was inflating rents and meaning local people were unable to afford accommodation.

Accommodation 'still the problem'

Mr Boruard stressed the key barrier to filling the vacancies was a lack of local housing.

He said: "We all know accommodation pressures remain the most significant pressing barriers to the recruitment and retention of staff in HSC.

"We have to make sure local staff and off-island staff can secure suitable accommodation.

"It is especially frustrating when we have permanent staff willing to work here but who can't because of a lack of accommodation."