Cost of relocating health staff to Guernsey doubles in two years

  • Video report by ITV Channel's Roisin Gauson


The cost of bringing frontline health staff to Guernsey has more than doubled in the space of two years.

In 2019, the Committee for Health and Social Care was spending around £850,000 on relocating staff to work in the Bailiwick. However, that figure has now increased to more than £2million.

The Committee says pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, spiraling rent costs and an increased reliance on recruiting staff from overseas have all contributed to the rise.



The number of staff who qualified for relocation support was expanded in 2017, when the Population Management Law allowed the Committee to make permits available to unregistered staff.

Relocation fees range from £500 for those moving into key worker accommodation, to £5,000 for those who are renting on the private market. Rent allowances are paid on a sliding scale according to the level of rent charged.

Local estate agents add that record rental prices are not helping the situation, with the island facing serious recruitment problems in other sectors, most notably hospitality and catering.