Guernsey secondary healthcare not meeting waiting time targets

The annual report focused on improving waiting times for outpatient appointments and inpatient admissions in Guernsey

Waiting times for secondary healthcare in Guernsey remain a challenge but progress has been made, a report finds.

Health and Social Care (HSC) and the Medical Specialist Group (MSG) published their annual update on the secondary healthcare contract.

Figures showed a thirds of referrals for cancer patients were not seen within the agreed time.

Improvements found included complaints resolved within targets and targets met for waiting time for operations.

Guernsey's medical director said addressing hospital wait times were a key priority for the States.

Dr Peter Rabey said: "We want to maintain all that's good in there but the waiting times are key for us and it's high on the government work plans, we have plans to tackle the waiting times particularly in orthopaedics and the bone and joints patients who have been waiting for a long time."

The emergency department's waiting times fell below its target of 95% of patients being either admitted or discharged within four hours of arrival, achieving 89%.

"We're planning to build extra theatres, the hospital modernisation will provide us with more intensive care beds so we're doing all the right things but it's going to be a long time before we get back to the levels we want to see," Dr Rabey said.

MSG chairman Dr Gary Yarwood said lockdown had impacted its waiting times, but Guernsey was in a "much stronger position" than the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

He said: "Waiting times continue to be challenging and the impact of two lockdowns will take some time to clear, we are in a much stronger position than the NHS where the backlog is significantly greater.

"We appreciate that is no consolation to patients in Guernsey who are having to wait longer for an appointment or an operation than they expected."

The MSG has a rolling contract with the States of Guernsey to provide secondary healthcare for islanders.

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