Friends of Our New Hospital

Welcome to Our Bulletin Page

Read our latest bulletins below:

We post Bulletins to our Friends of Friends and others summarising our position and views on current Hospital issues.

As a group, our purpose is to stay in as close touch as possible with the development of the Our Hospital (OH) project, to ensure that it delivers the new hospital to the right requirement, at the right price and to the right timescale. It is a considerable challenge, as we are discovering a real reluctance within the government to release any real information, so, in this bulletin (number 1), we will outline the site selection process – and we will cover this in more detail in a separate bulletin.

However, our principal interest is getting the hospital built somewhere on this 9 x 5 mile island and in this first bulletin we explore some of the other challenges facing us. >Read More

P.19-2023

Bulletin 25 “Review of the Proposed Health and Community Services Interim Health Board – P.19-2023”

Proposition “ Health and Community Services Interim Board – P.19-2023” was lodged by the Minister for Health and Social Services on 11 April 2023 for debate in the Assembly on 23 May. Our Bulletin sets out the powers and structure of the proposed Interim Board. We also raise a number of questions regarding the aims, objectives and functions of the Interim Board. It is our view that the rationale for the proposed Interim Board has not been fully justified by the Minister or adequately reviewed by the health community and the public. >Read More

Bulletin 23 - The Pending Review

One of the first acts of our new Chief Minister and Council of Ministers (“CoM”) following the elections in June was to announce plans for the Review of the Our New Hospital Project. We welcomed our new Government’s decision considering the Island’s vastly changed economic circumstances in the course of 2022. >Read More

Bulletin 22 - Why Does it Costs So Much to Visit Your GP?

Dear Friends, please pardon our long silence since sending our last Bulletin 21 to you in June.
In the interim, we have had our elections and a new Assembly and Council of Ministers is in place. Deputy Kristina Moore, our new Chief Minister, has set out a programme for her administration's first 100 days in office. Most importantly from our perspective, the new administration is undertaking a review of the Our Hospital Project which we strongly recommended in June, The plans for the New Hospital have been paused and the results of the review are due to be delivered by 20 October. We will comment on the review in progress in a forthcoming Bulletin. >Read More

Read Bulletin 21: Our Hospital Project & the Elections

The Our Hospital Project continues to inexorably advance. In May, Philip Staddon, the Planning Inspector, recommended the approval of P.2021-1670, the Planning Application to build the new Hospital at Overdale. Deputy John Young, the Minister for Planning, has approved the Application. The development of the Our Hospital Project has been long and complicated. The Friends have been following and contributing to the development of the Our Hospital Project for many years. We are in favour of a new hospital. >Read More

15 March 2022

Bulletin 20 - What's Happening With Our New Hospital

Since 2012, following developments with the Our Hospital (“OH”) Project has been like watching fish swimming in the sea. We have never quite known where the project was headed next. We will do our best to set out some basics on the current direction of the OH Project for you here in our Bulletin 20.

Bulletin 19 - Good News!

13 Dec 21 - We have continually raised the issue of the Islands’ inadequate rehabilitation services in our reviews of the Our Hospital Project. Now, some good news. Senator Pallett, supported by Connetable Jehan and other Assembly
members, has had the courage to do something about rehabilitation. They have directly confronted the issue of rehabilitation and lodged “Re-Opening of Samares Ward” Proposition p.115 on 10 December. >Read More

Read Bulletin 18: Our New Hospital – Next Steps for Friends

29th Oct 21 - The Our Hospital Project has been central to much of the public discussion and debate since our last Bulletin 17 “Our Hospital Last Chance” released to you on 27 September. With the support of many of you, the Friends contributed to the debate with the public rallies we held in People’s Park on 2nd October and the Royal Square on 5th October. We have continued our campaign through the media and meetings with Assembly members, clinicians and many others. So, the question now what are the next steps for the Friends? Here are our reflections and our plans: >Read More

Read Bulletin 17: Understanding the Issues

29th Sept 2021 - Senator Farnham has said the Our Hospital project will cost £804.5 million and the States must borrow £756 million to pay for it. He has stated that any reduction will bring the project to a complete halt. We have noted that in evidence given to the Future Hospital Review Panel, Senator Farnham has confirmed that the build cost of the new hospital will be £301.3 million. The Senator also cites further expenditure required of £179.5 million which makes a total of £480.8 million. Put simply, the issue is what is the justification for the extra £320 million plus making up the total of £804.5 million requested by P.80? >Read More

Read Bulletin 16: Our Hospital Project at a Turning Point

15th Sept 2021 - The Our Hospital project has reached a critical turning point. On 5th October, the States Assembly will debate the “Our Hospital – Budget, Financing and Land Assembly, P.80 2021” lodged by the Council of Ministers on 3rd August and the Government of Jersey “Our Hospital Project Outline Business Case, R.124 2021” lodged on 14 July 2021. >Read More

Read Bulletin 15:

16th August 2021 - The Jersey Care Model is skewing the ‘Our Hospital’ project into providing a largely Acute, rather than a General Hospital. Protestations to the contrary have not sounded very convincing. Switching to an Acute service means that everything else will have to be provided in the community or off island. >Read More

Read Bulletin 14:

8th August 2021 - With all the letters and articles in our local media about staff shortages, staff morale, the controversy over the Our Hospital Project (“OH”) and the Jersey Care Model (“JCM”) the following report highlights key issues relating to the management of our health service. The report gives details of worryingly high vacancy levels amongst clinical and nursing staff in the hospital and also community GPs. At the same time, numbers of health managers are increasing beyond reason, apparently unchecked, and money is being syphoned out of the Health Insurance Fund (“HIF”) for reasons other than the purpose it was set up for. >Read More

Read Bulletin 12:

20th April 2021 - Dear Friends we are pleased to enclose our Bulletin 12 “Issues with Primary Care and Jersey Care Model Explained”. Our latest Bulletin follows on from our Bulletin 8 “Developing a Healthcare Strategy for Jersey – The Jersey Care Model” which we circulated on 15th February. Bulletin 12 sets out our continuing concerns with the Health & Community Services (”HCS”) development of the Jersey Care Model (“JCM”). >Read More

Read Bulletin 11: “Delivering the Our Hospital Project”

16th March 2021 - The Bulletin analyses the limited but accessible, information available on the OH website and the ‘Functional Brief’ published on 8th February 2021 and highlights what is missing from the information normally covered in any large construction project.

Read Bulletin 10:

28th February 2021 - Our New Hospital - What Will and Will Not be in It. There is much to like in the overview of the Our Hospital, published as the Functional Brief on 8th February 2021. However, the Jersey Care Model (“JCM”) has influenced the design of the Our Hospital (“OH”) leading to the Departments and Services. >Read More

Please review our previous bulletins here:

Bulletin 9 - 24th - February 2021 - The first three years of the JCM is estimated to cost £28.1 million >Read More
Bulletin 8 - 15th February 2021 - Developing a Healthcare Strategy for Jersey - The Jersey Care Model (JCM) >Read More
Bulletin 7 - 25th January 2021 - Let’s Pause on Overdale as the Site For Our New Hospital. >Read More
Bulletin 6 - 30th November 2020 - BEDS – The Next Big Challenge facing the Our Hospital Project. >Read More
Bulletin 5 - 15th November 2020 - The Council of Ministers Continue to Close the Door on Our New Hospital Project. >Read More
Bulletin 4 - 14th October 2020 - The absence of consultation and the demise of Samares Ward. >Read More
Bulletin 3 - 7th September 2020 - The Hospital site selection farce. >Read More
Bulletin 2 - 27th August 2020 - An Analysis of the OH Site Selection. >Read More
Bulletin 1 - 10th August 2020 - Our purpose and the issues facing us. >Read more