Hospital Delays Will Cost £100k A Week

Thursday, 12 September 2019 11:50

Any delays to the new timetable for building a hospital will cost taxpayers £100,000 a week.

The government has issued the latest update and timeline for the project.

The nine page summary is the first since the Chief Minister announced in May a new plan for delivering a new hospital after two failed attempts to get planning permission for Gloucester Street.

We're told the intention is to announce the preferred site next September and submit a planning application in March 2021.

In July £845,000 funding was agreed until the end of this year.

The first phase - up to drawing up the outline application - is expected to cost £7.4 million.

Deputy Chief Minister Senator Lyndon Farnham, chair of the Our Hospital Political Oversight Group, has warned of the importance of keeping to schedule:

"“I hope we can avoid the mistrust that dogged the previous project by working proactively with Scrutiny and States Members throughout the process, and by ensuring that Members remain informed and involved, before any Proposition is brought forward for debate.

“It is important to keep the project on track as any delays will cost money: the project estimates that each week’s delay during these preparatory stages will mean £100,000 in additional costs.

“I hope that as much scrutiny as possible can be carried out in parallel with the project, rather than in sequence. This will provide Scrutiny with the opportunity to give views that the project can take on board as it develops.”

A Citizens' Panel of between 12 and 24 people is being set up to give community feedback, but members will not be allowed to have any preconceived bias to 'avoid the panel simply becoming a forum for campaigners to press their views.'

Before that is formed, Ministers will be considering a new Jersey Care Model to help decide the facilities needed in the new hospital.

The government document published today can be found here