Apology for rehab patients in Jersey as new facilities announced

Jersey's Health Minister has issued an apology to rehabilitation patients on the island and said Covid may have caused services to "take their eyes off the right level of care" for some patients.

It comes as plans have been announced to move specialist rehabilitation services in Jersey back to the Overdale site temporarily, so refurbishment work can take place updating the Plémont Rehabilitation Unit at the hospital.

Deputy Richard Renouf said: "The hospital services and the staff have come through two years of Covid with all sorts of fears, dangers and the pressures they've been put under. And it has caused, in some cases, us to take our eyes of the right level of care for some patients, and I'm sorry we couldn't get it right for them, but our intent it to do so."

In-patient rehabilitation services were moved out of Overdale in 2020 as part of the emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic. States members voted in January to reinstate rehabilitation services at Samarès Ward on the Overdale site or at another suitable location.

There have been a number of complaints about the service at the Plémont Ward in the General Hospital, which provides support to those who have suffered strokes and other neurological conditions.

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Since January Jersey's Health Minister, Deputy Richard Renouf, and government officers have looked at the possibility of re-instating the facilities that were available at Samarès Ward at a combination of 16 different government owned sites but the large space needed, impacts on current sites, timing issues with planning permissions and overall costs reduced the options. These sites included the former Les Quennevais School, Le Bas Centre and sites at St Saviour’s Hospital.

Deputy Renouf presented the options to the Council of Ministers who have supported hisdecision to move the service back to Samarès Ward as soon as possible and to refurbish Plémont Ward into a dedicated, therapeutic rehabilitation unit by the end of 2022.

The funding will improve the current rehabilitation offering in Jersey until the new hospital,which will provide extensive rehabilitation facilities within a dedicated unit, is built.

Under the plans, the current Plémont Rehabilitation Unit based at the General Hospital will be relocated to Samarès Ward at Overdale during July.

The services affected by the move at Overdale are:

  • The Assisted Reproduction Unit

  • Retinal Screening

  • Pre-operational assessment

  • Community Therapies

  • The Our Hospital project team

Affected service users and staff will receive detailed information over the next few weeks.

  • The renovation works at the current Plémont Rehabilitation Unit will retain the existing single rooms and convert the six-bedded bays into four-bedded bays to ensure patients have more personal and quiet space.

  • The unit will be refurbished and updated with the aim to create therapeutic environment.

  • A dining room, activities area, and day room will be created to provide space for socialactivities.

The renovated unit will provide additional services to those that were at Samarès Ward, such as the availability of therapies seven days a week, and patients being able to access the Mental Health Team. By locating the rehabilitation unit in the General Hospital, patients will be able to receive medical cover 24-hours a day, seven days a week. They will also benefit from access to hospital-based services such as the hydro-pool and diagnostic services.

The renovation works will be completed by the end of December to ensure that the OurHospital project is not delayed.

There will be further investment in community therapies to increase the service provision tobe offered in patients’ homes or in the community. This will mean increased recruitment into community therapies to ensure patients get timely access to therapies to achieve theirpersonal rehabilitation goals.

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Deputy Richard Renouf said: “We have always been committed to providing the very bestcare to our patients, but I accept that the current Plémont Rehabilitation Unit is in need ofrenovation to create a better environment for patients until we can move to the new hospital which will provide extensive rehabilitation facilities. We will return to Samarès Ward whilst it is available for use and will use that time to carry out the improvement work in Plémont Ward.

“We have listened to Islanders, States members and HCS colleagues and understand whatan important part the rehabilitation unit plays in a patient’s recovery. We have considered awide range of options, have carried out a gap analysis and have already implemented a variety of service improvements that are benefitting patients. I am pleased to see the goodfeedback from patients that we have received over the last few weeks. I’m glad that we nowhave this detailed plan in place to ensure that we can enhance the physical environment onthe rehabilitation unit while continuing to provide the best quality care.”