Charity chair concerned over A&E charges

Mr Shenton said the announcement has raised "a lot of concern"

Concerns have been raised by a former health minister over plans to introduce charges for people attending A&E when it is not an emergency.

Ben Shenton, chair of Age Concern Jersey and a former health minister, said the announcement has raised "a lot of concern" among members of the charity.

The Jersey government's 2026 budget includes proposals to introduce fees for non-emergency A&E visits and for repeatedly missing outpatient appointments.

The charges are expected to be similar to current rates for the Jersey Doctors on Call (JDOC) service, which are £77 for residents and £97 for non-residents.

Mr Shenton said the measures should not "put people off from going to A&E".

"If you are charging people just to make sure they haven't got a fatal illness, you are putting people off from going there," he said.

"All it is doing is introducing a layer of risk that is not necessary."

The former health minister also said that he believes the charges will affect islanders, and that he received a call urging him to raise the issue as "our members are really worried".

He added: "A lot of the members are living on very low incomes, and to turn up to A&E and be faced with a charge that they can't afford will put them off from going again.

"It is something that will need to be thought through a bit more."