Jersey health minister promises shorter waiting times

The minister said she would be appointing a new health board to provide independent assurance

Jersey's new health minister has promised shorter waiting times and a better experience for patients as part of a review into the health service.

Deputy Karen Wilson has unveiled proposals in response to a recent report that criticised the way the hospital was managed.

The plan sets out initial steps to accelerate the delivery of patient focussed change and improvement, the government has said.

Ms Wilson has promised quick action.

She will be appointing a new health board to provide independent assurance to the minister and the public.

'Changing aspects of service'

The minister said the report "provided evidence that we must go further to raise standards of quality and safety so that all islanders can expect a standard of care and service that can be found in most modern health systems across the world".

She added: "This can only be achieved through changing many aspects of the service, the standards it works to and its accountability to the public, supported by the participation and engagement of patients and staff."

Ms Wilson said, despite the hard work of staff, the report made it clear "HCS's clinical governance is poor and therefore Jersey does not know if it receives the standards of healthcare it deserves".

Some of the commitments in the minister's plan include:

• Direct improvements to patient experiences, such as waiting times, mechanisms for patients and complaints handling

• A culture change programme for HCS, including the appointment of a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian

• Getting the right mix of skills and clinical leadership through the creation of a sustainable workforce plan and following best practice in clarity of role and structures

• Development of service excellence standards and changes to systems and practices to make sure they are being achieved

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