Jersey Care Model report released
23rd October 2020
A new report examining the Jersey Care Model (JCM) has been published today by the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel, in which it concludes that it is hard to accurately assess how appropriate the model is for Jersey. This is due to a lack of detail about how the provision of care will change under the JCM, and the impact the new model will have on service users, the workforce and the overall care system in Jersey. The Panel’s review outlines a total of 60 key findings and makes 21 recommendations.
The Jersey Care Model proposes the remodelling of primary care over the next five years in Jersey. This is to meet the changing healthcare needs of Islanders, as people are living for longer and older people often have more complex health needs to manage, moving services that don’t need to be provided in the hospital into the community, in order to make care easier to access.
As part of its review the Panel conducted a targeted survey with local GPs to hear their views about the key principles of the JCM and future working arrangements with the Health and Community Services Department. The Panel found that engagement with GPs is currently not working appropriately and needs immediate attention, so that they feel significantly more involved, listened to and confident in the JCM.
The report highlights that due to past failures of delivering changes to our current care model, it is imperative that there is a clear implementation programme in place to help give members of the public confidence in its delivery. The Panel found that there is insufficient pace and rigour behind the JCM, and that the proposals included within it are too inflexible. In addition, those responsible for its delivery are not being held accountable for considerable slippage against previously promised actions. The Panel therefore recommends that an independent, non-executive board is established to hold the executive team to account for the timely and successful delivery of the JCM.
In identifying a significant deficit in the current health and social care workforce, and issues of retention are adding to the increasing pressure on these services, the Panel is concerned that the proposals contained with the JCM will only exacerbate the already over stretched workforce. It found that there is a significant risk that the output of the future workforce plan, in terms of numbers, becomes an aspiration that will be never be realised. In order to help mitigate this, the Panel recommends that the Minister must develop a risk assessment for delivering the workforce strategy, that is to be developed as part of the Jersey Care Model, in order to provide confidence that it can meet the expected demand.
Deputy Mary Le Hegarat, Chair of the Health and Social Security Panel said, “Whilst the Panel supports the overarching proposals of the Jersey Care Model, we are disappointed to find the proposals lacking in important details at this stage, not least a thorough analysis of the impact the model is expected to have on service users and the health and social care workforce. Our recommendations, if accepted by the Minister for Health and Social Services, will address the concerns raised in our report. Unless this is the case, we lack confidence that the proposals are adequately informed to be given the green light at this time’’.
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