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Nearly 2,500 waiting for surgery

Nearly 2,500 waiting for surgery

Thursday 26 May 2022

Nearly 2,500 waiting for surgery

Thursday 26 May 2022


There are around 2,300 people on waiting lists for surgical procedures - more than one in 30 Bailiwick residents.

The waiting list is longest for orthopaedic surgery with around 760 patients awaiting procedures. Gastroenterology is another area where there is a significant backlog.

Deputy Al Brouard, the President of the Committee for Health & Social Care, revealed the figures in the States' Assembly yesterday in response to a question asked by Deputy David De Lisle.

Deputy David De Lisle

Pictured: Deputy David De Lisle wanted to know how many people were waiting for orthopaedic surgery.

Deputy De Lisle said: "Can I ask how many people are currently on the waiting list and what is the average waiting time for orthopaedic procedures?"

Deputy Brouard said he was able to provide "very approximate" figures which were "slightly out of date...because our IT system has been down for the last week".

"I managed to get these figures from April, which is a very close figure," said Deputy Brouard.

"About 2,300 are on our waiting list for a variety of interventions. Gastroenterology is one of the larger ones and orthopaedics is the largest at about 762 patients."

Deputy Brouard did not answer Deputy De Lisle's request for the average time which patients are spending on the waiting list for orthopaedic surgery.

Deputy Al Brouard

Pictured: Deputy Al Brouard had to provide the States with information about waiting lists as at last month because the current position is not fully known due to IT problems with the Committee's health records system.

Deputy Brouard acknowledged that waiting lists were too long but said they were a lot shorter than in the UK.

"To give some context...the numbers have substantially increased during the pandemic. Fortunately, not as fast as they have in the UK," he said.

"I think the UK is now at about six million, which would be the equivalent to us of about 6,000.

"So we’re in a better place. It’s not good. It’s not good if you are on that list waiting for your surgery."

NHS.jpg

Pictured: Deputy Al Brouard acknowledged that waiting lists for surgery in Guernsey were longer than his Committee would like but said they were also much shorter than in the National Health Service.

Deputy Brouard indicated that waiting lists would fall "as soon as we can crack on and get the staff we need". 

He said that building more staff accommodation was key to recruiting the additional health staff necessary.

He told deputies: "I need to have the accommodation to put our nurses in to provide the services that you in this House demand."

GHA key worker housing Ville au Roi

Pictured: Deputy Al Brouard says the Committee for Health & Social Care desperately requires more accommodation to aid recruitment of nurses.

The Committee is interested in building staff accommodation in a green field within the grounds of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.

But seven deputies, led by Deputy Steve Falla, have submitted a requête proposing "that Agricultural Priority Areas should not be used by the States for staff accommodation, unless there is demonstratively no alternative, and only then following a policy letter to the States seeking permission so to do".

In particular, the requête seeks to instruct that any new "staff accommodation located next to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital...should be on brown field sites".

The Assembly is expected to debate the requête in July.

READ MORE...

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Requete filed to "ensure a safeguard is in place" over the decision whether to build on hospital green field

Requête may propose key worker housing - but not on green fields

Clash over site of key worker housing

Dep. Roffey signing key worker requête is "alien and incredulous"

Hands off Duchess of Kent House - HSC needs it as working space

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