St John Chairman wants to build on "huge public trust"

Wednesday 25 August 2021

St John Guernsey will have to continue to show innovation to deal with increasing demands on its emergency services, says its new Chairman.

John Hollis has taken up the Chairmanship of St John Guernsey and St John Emergency Ambulance Service following a long international business career, primarily in high-volume retail customer services. Since coming to Guernsey, he has held roles as a Non-States Member for the past nine years.

Through those positions, he has played a role in two States reviews of healthcare provision in Guernsey, the first of which was undertaken by Treasury & Resources in 2015.

"What we learnt from that was that there is huge public trust in St John," said Mr Hollis. "Secondly, that St John provided a more quality and cost-effective service than it would if the States were to provide it."

Pictured: The Flying Christine service was introduced by St John Guernsey management locally to serve the wider Bailiwick. (Credit: Dylan Ray).

That public confidence has continued to grow, with St John part of the front-line response to the Covid-19 pandemic, maintaining vital services with the help of community volunteers. 

There are numerous moving parts to the organisation, with volunteers complementing the work of the emergency workers. Mr Hollis - who has significant retail experience - also notes the importance of the Health Care shop in stocking equipment such as stairlifts and the revolutionary, locally-engineered Ypush wheelchair that help people with reduced mobility in their daily lives. 

"I see it as a family of services," said Mr Hollis, who now oversees all aspects of St John Guernsey. "You have the very professional ambulance technicians and paramedics, a number of volunteers who want to do everything they can to help, and the services with the shop, which needs to be commercial to help fund the other services."

Together, they will all play a vital role in enabling St John to meet some of the big generational challenges heading the island's way. Guernsey's ageing demographic means there will be increased demands on St John's services and the wider healthcare system.

"It is a positive thing that people are living longer," said Mr Hollis. "However, it will increase our demand. One of the biggest requirements [for the emergency services] are for falls and that is an area where our voluntary community first responders have improved our service."

Pictured: The Health Care shop helps to fund the other St John services, while also providing the latest equipment and technology.

He continued: "The organisation is at a time where it will need to be innovative. We will have more calls for service and that will translate into the skills we need on our front line."

Medical training form a part of that, but so does the mindset that St John aims to instils in young people through its Badgers, Cadets and other outreach work, which Mr Hollis says is vital to the future of the organisation.

He also wants changes that will better enable St John's critical workers to do their job in emergency situations. At the moment, core patient information isn’t shared across different providers of Guernsey’s healthcare system, meaning a St John paramedic does not have access to any medical history or conditions that a casualty has. 

It's an area where Mr Hollis wants to see progress made during his term, which he hopes will be a “minimum of five years”. 

"What's important is that the patient owns the data. What we found when we did quite a comprehensive survey was that 81% wanted the emergency services to have access to that core data.

"If I was in that situation, I would want a paramedic to have access to have core information."

Pictured: Mr Hollis has had a long international business career, primarily in high-volume retail customer services and logistics, with clients including Tesco, BP, Procter and Gamble, Mars Confectionery, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Coca-Cola, B&Q, and The Independent.

It is one of the strategic areas where Mr Hollis can apply his experience in the States, which has a 10-year contract with St John to help fund the emergency service. 

Asked about how hands-on he intends to be as Chairman, he emphasised the importance of "not interfering with the professional leadership", noting also that there are times where "as a lean organisation" his input can be of use "in order to let others get on with their jobs."

St John Guernsey's main strength, like those of the international organisation, is its innovation. Mr Hollis says it remains important that the Guernsey branch implements its own ideas and focusses on the community it serves, while still benefitting from its role in a hugely-established organisation. 

"You don’t manage from the centre; you encourage people to be as good as they can be in their individual communities," said Mr Hollis, who has worked in customer services and logistics for a number of household, multi-national retailers. 

"It is important that there is local decision-making while working within established clinical governance structures."