Jersey health review 'cannot be swept under carpet'

Recommendations to improve Jersey's health system after a report found "substantial risks" cannot be "swept under the carpet", a senior politician says.

The Health Department asked Prof Hugo Mascie-Taylor to examine the system and he made 61 recommendations for changes.

Scrutiny leader Deputy Geoff Southern said attention had to be paid to the report's warnings.

Ministers have promised a new plan to improve care by the end of September.

Prof Mascie-Taylor said people, irrespective of individual financial circumstances, needed and deserved high-quality health care.

He also said "urgent improvement" was needed in patient care, and decision-making needed to be quicker and more transparent.

Deputy Southern said managers had to be held more accountable and lead their teams more effectively to make improvements.

He said: "I think the seriousness of the 61 findings in this report must be paid attention to.

"We can't just sweep it under the carpet, we can't just say: 'This is the Jersey way'.

"The Jersey way is no longer good enough, and we've got to be more open about how successful we are in developing and delivering."

He also pointed out that his wife paid for private care because waiting lists for treatment were so long.

Minister for Health and Social Services Karen Wilson said when the report was released that an independent review board would "drive reform".

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