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Nearly £40m wasted on Jersey hospital project, audit finds

BBC Overdale aerial viewBBC
A review has found "significant gaps" in the plans for Jersey's health programmes

Nearly £40m has been wasted on the new hospital project, a watchdog has found.

The Jersey Audit Office looked at how the project had been managed since it began in 2012.

Of the £130.6m spent on the project so far, the audit found £38.6m had been written off in wasted costs with the potential for further write-offs.

Chief Minister Deputy Kristina Moore said ministers should ensure "public money is not wasted and that we deliver the right healthcare facilities".

'Lack of clarity'

In November 2022, a 100-day review commissioned by the government found the new hospital could be built across different sites, with the existing plan for a single site at Overdale "no longer achievable" under the current budget of about £800m.

But the audit found a "lack of clarity" and "significant gaps" in the plans to ensure the project meets future needs.

Addressing the 100-day review, comptroller and auditor-general Lynn Pamment criticised the process as "overly-ambitious" and noted some transparency issues.

She said meetings with key people such as clinicians "acted more like communication meetings than open consultation".

Government of Jersey Artist's impression of the proposed hospitalGovernment of Jersey
A single site at Overdale had been proposed for the new hospital but was found to be "no longer achievable"

Ms Pamment wrote: "It is hard to see how the 100-day Review could have been expected to uncover new and meaningful information about the state of current healthcare facilities or future models of healthcare delivery, to help with the decision making process."

She recommended the hospital project should have:

  • Clarity on the "strategies and ambitions" for Jersey's health services
  • Effective programme management and monitoring of "clear and consistent" goals
  • A best-practice approach to ensuring value for money
  • Effective and meaningful consultation with clinicians and other stakeholders

'Strict timeline'

Responding to the findings, Ms Moore "strongly agreed" that money should not be wasted on the project.

She said many of Ms Pamment's recommendations "have already been implemented" and she noted the audit found project governance "represents best practice".

She said: "As ministers we strongly agree with the Comptroller and Auditor General that we must learn from the previous hospital projects to ensure that public money is not wasted and that we deliver the right healthcare facilities for Islanders, in the right locations, without further delay."

Deputy Karen Wilson, Minister for Health, added: "I will work with my ministerial colleagues to ensure that while we pursue a strict timeline and cost-effective project delivery, the needs of patients and clinicians remain foremost in the minds of all involved in the programme."

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