logo
Guernsey hospital value engineering report not to be released

Guernsey hospital value engineering report not to be released

BBC News5 days ago
Guernsey's Committee for Health and Social Care (HSC) will not release an independent report into the second phase of the hospital modernisation project. Last year, UK firm Northmores was commissioned to review the project after a revelation that the scheme to extend the hospital could go £30m over budget.In January, HSC said the project may need to be split into two phases, with the first part delivering 80% of the overall benefits of the project for the agreed budget of £130m. The committee is currently in discussions with the Policy and Resources Committee about how the project can proceed and has said some parts of the report may be released when the full business case is published.
Phase one of the project, which centres on the creation of a new critical care unit, has suffered further delays and officials warned it may not open this year. States of Guernsey Chief Executive Boley Smilie admitted he did not expect the new unit to open "any time soon".
After issues with the second phase of the project were identified, HSC commissioned Northmores to undertake a "value engineering exercise" - effectively to look at how the project could be delivered in the current budget. The States has not revealed how much the report from UK consultants Northmores cost. It is different to the Thornton report, which was commissioned to examine how the States manages big projects, following the problems with the hospital project. That report found issues with "lines of accountability" and the culture within the States of Guernsey.
Phase two
The next phase of HSC's hospital modernisation project is due to include:A new children's ward and paediatric unitFour new operating theatresA larger emergency department (A&E)A new private ward to accommodate day case patientsA 21-bed orthopaedic unitA new outpatient unit
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

World-first vaccine rolled out across England amid record levels of infection
World-first vaccine rolled out across England amid record levels of infection

The Independent

time7 minutes ago

  • The Independent

World-first vaccine rolled out across England amid record levels of infection

England has launched a world-first gonorrhoea vaccination programme, aimed at curbing soaring infection rates and tackling the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant strains. The initiative comes after cases of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) in England reached a record 85,000 in 2023, the highest since records began in 1918. Available free of charge from Monday at sexual health clinics, the jab is being offered to those at highest risk. This includes gay and bisexual men with a recent history of multiple sexual partners or a bacterial STI. The vaccine, an existing jab known as 4CMenB, is currently used to protect against meningococcal B disease, which can cause meningitis and sepsis. It is used in the routine childhood programme and given to babies at eight weeks, 16 weeks and one year. Officials anticipate the programme will save the NHS £7.9 million over the next decade. The programme could prevent up to 100,000 cases of gonorrhoea, according to doctors. The STI disproportionately impacts specific communities, such as those in deprived areas, people of black Caribbean ethnicity, and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, according to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Patients getting the gonorrhoea vaccine will also be offered jabs for mpox, human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis A and B at their appointment. 'Rolling out this world-leading gonorrhoea vaccination programme in sexual health clinics in England represents a major breakthrough in preventing an infection that has reached record levels,' Ashley Dalton, the minister for public health and prevention, said. 'This government's world-first vaccination programme will help turn the tide on infections, as well as tackling head-on the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. 'I strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to come forward for vaccination, to protect not only yourselves but also your sexual partners.'

Lord Kinnock urges Rachel Reeves to launch a VAT raid
Lord Kinnock urges Rachel Reeves to launch a VAT raid

Telegraph

time7 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Lord Kinnock urges Rachel Reeves to launch a VAT raid

Lord Kinnock has urged Rachel Reeves to launch a VAT raid on private healthcare. The former Labour leader said the move would give the NHS 'vital funding' as it looks to slash waiting lists. It is estimated that removing the VAT exemption for private healthcare firms would raise £2 billion – if work the private sector does for the health service is exempt. The Chancellor is looking to fill a black hole of up to £30 billion in her autumn budget as economic growth remains sluggish and recent u-turns on welfare reform and winter fuel need to be paid for. Labour promised in its manifesto not to raise the headline rate of income tax, national insurance or VAT, but has applied VAT to private school fees. The party has already been accused of breaking the pledge by hiking employers' national insurance in the last budget, but a raid on private healthcare could get the Chancellor around the commitment by not raising the headline rate. Lord Kinnock, who lost two general elections for his party, told the i newspaper: 'Introducing VAT on private health provision could provide vital funding for the NHS and social care. 'After 14 years of underinvestment, many people are turning to private healthcare not out of choice, but because they cannot afford to wait. This has increasingly led to unequal access to care. 'Ending the VAT exemption to generate much-needed revenue is a reasonable and widely supported step.' The former Labour leader's comments come after he used an interview with Sky News last month to back a wealth tax, which led to weeks of speculation over whether such a policy would be implemented. The Chancellor appeared to shut down the speculation last week by saying Labour had already 'got the balance right' on wealth taxes after it increased capital gains tax and abolished non-dom status. It is feared any tax raid on private healthcare would lead to longer NHS waiting lists by making it more expensive for people to skip the queue by going private. Such an effect would echo that of the VAT raid on private schools, which has led or will lead to the closure of 44 schools according to Telegraph analysis. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has previously said Labour will use the private sector for 'as long as it takes' to get waiting lists down. Data from private healthcare analyst LaingBuisson suggested 4.68 million people now have private medical insurance, the highest proportion since 2008. The raid on private healthcare was backed by the Good Growth Foundation think tank, which was founded by former Labour candidate Praful Nargund. It said private health companies had enjoyed bumper profits as people have turned to them to avoid a lengthy NHS wait, meaning any raid would amount to a windfall tax. Polling of more than 2,000 people for the think tank found 55 per cent of the public backed the raid, with just 17 per cent against the move. Mr Nargund, who stood unsuccessfully for Labour against Jeremy Corbyn at last year's general election, said: 'We are sleepwalking into a two-tier healthcare system, and we have to back our NHS. 'The NHS is in a dire state: from 8am GP scrambles to months-long waits for cancer care, this is simply not good enough. People are being forced to go private for care they should get for free. 'That's not a system in need of tweaks – it's a system on the brink, in need of major reform. A windfall tax on private healthcare would be a bold, fair first step to fund the innovation and change we need in the NHS.' A spokesperson for the Independent Healthcare Providers Network told the i newspaper: 'With record demand for both NHS and privately funded treatment, along with increasing numbers of employers providing medical insurance to keep their staff healthy, we would strongly warn against any changes to the tax system which may dis-incentivise people from accessing the healthcare that they need to live full and productive lives.' A Government spokesperson told the newspaper: 'Thanks to this Government's record investment, reforms and the hard work of NHS staff, we've cut the waiting list by over 260,000 since July 2024, which also fell for the first time in 17 years in April and May outside of the pandemic. On top of this, we have also delivered 4.6 million appointments – more than double the two million we promised.'

Owners of Hyde Pit near Wareham consider extending site into wood
Owners of Hyde Pit near Wareham consider extending site into wood

BBC News

time7 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Owners of Hyde Pit near Wareham consider extending site into wood

A firm that own a large quarry has discussed plans to extend its site south into a woodland area with a local Quarry Products is consulting with Dorset Council's minerals and waste officers on its proposals to expand Hyde Pit near Wareham by 15 existing quarry, off Puddletown Road, covers an area of around 40 approved the company estimates it would be able to extract an extra two million tonnes of material and will would extend the working life of the pit, also known as Masters Hyde Pit, by another 10 to 15 years, including restoration. The current permission takes the pit use until February company says the semi-circular extension is largely into an area of commercial woodland known as The Great Plantation which has recently been partially cleared with many standing coniferous nearest buildings are the Budden's Farm activity centre, previously a Scout campsite, and the Dorset Golf and Country proposed operating hours would remain the same and access to the new site would be via the existing quarry, with machinery currently on site to be used for the application says there would be no significant increase in HGV traffic into or out of the site although the extended use would mean more lorries over a longer period, if the planning application, when lodged, is agreed. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store