Jersey patients paying thousands of pounds for bandages

Charity staff said some patients were struggling to fund their own dressings

Patients being treated at home in Jersey are paying thousands of pounds for their own bandages and dressings.

About 200 islanders are spending a total of more than £600,000 a year between them on dressings.

A Government of Jersey spokesperson said: "Dressings and bandages for wounds have always been paid for by islanders."

It is currently trialling providing £40,000 a year for post-recovery leg ulcer tights.

The spokesperson said: "We are reviewing the pilot and putting together a business case for the 2023 Government Plan to extend the service in the future."

'Anxiety and stress'

District nurses said some patients were resorting to washing and re-using old dressings, or putting nappies on wounds to keep costs down.

Brian Lesslie, a patient who needs regular changes to a leg dressing following cancer treatment, said he had spent up to £500 a week on dressings.

Family Nursing and Home Care (FNHC) is a charity that administers free at-home care, but said it could not cover the cost of dressings.

Its operation lead for adult services, Tia Hall, said she did not think adopting the UK model of prescription dressings was right for Jersey as it could lead to a lot of waste, but added there did need to be more funding support.

"There has to be some middle ground where we can find those people that would really struggle funding their own dressings and find some kind of funding mechanism for them," she said.

Gilly Glendewar, clinical nurse specialist in tissue viability for FNHC, said the cost of bandages "does cause an awful lot of anxiety and stress for individuals trying to budget and make sure they've got the money to pay for the dressings".

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