Guernsey plans to make child healthcare 'affordable'

A £2m proposal to make the cost of children's healthcare in Guernsey "more affordable" has been announced by the States.

The cost of a GP appointment would be cut to £25 and children would be entitled to a free annual dental check.

An emergency hospital appointment would cost £25 and a visit to a nurse at the GPs would be £15, the States said.

The new charges would come into force from September 2021, if approved by the deputies in August.

Part of the scheme would also be to invest £150,000 for "enrichment and cultural activities" in primary schools, the States added.

The cost of a GP appointment for under-18s is currently set by the surgery, while Emergency Department admissions at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital charge the same as for adults.

The services would be paid for by removing the weekly, family allowance tax benefit from households earning more then £120,000 per year and by stopping it when the child turned 18 years old, the States said.

Currently the allowance is paid for families with a dependant who is 19 and still in full-time education.

The proposals have been submitted jointly by three Committees: Health and Social Care (HSC), Employment and Social Security (ESS), and Education, Sport and Culture (ESC).

Deputy Heidi Soulsby, president of HSC, said: "I am delighted that the three committees have come together and found a way of ensuring that children and young people can have more affordable access to the medical and dental care that they require."