A Ministerial Decision has been signed, allocating £845,000 to Health and Community Services as the first tranche of funding for the Our Hospital project.
The approval by Assistant Treasury Minister Deputy Lindsay Ash on Friday, follows the ratification by the States Employment Board earlier this month of the process for hiring and seconding key project members for the project team.
Meanwhile, an external clinical advisor, with expertise in healthcare transformation, has become the first appointment to the Our Hospital project team.
Associate Professor Ashok Handa was appointed as Clinical Director for Our Hospital, following a specialist search among candidates who have experience of being a clinical advisor on a hospital design project.
Professor Handa, who has been appointed on a two-year contract, is Associate Professor of Surgery at Oxford University and Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He has been involved in the clinical design of hospital developments in the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, Sussex, and the new Cancer Centre and the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
Professor Handa has taken up his post with immediate effect. He will work in Jersey for three days a week, consulting with Islanders, Health and Community Services staff, wider stakeholders and partners as he advises the project team on the design of the new hospital.
Group Medical Director for Health and Community Services (HCS), John McInerney, said: “This is a critical role for the new hospital project, as it provides an expert link between the island community, all our HCS partners and those who are designing the hospital to be integral to a new model of health and care in Jersey. Professor Handa brings significant experience and expertise in this field, and his appointment will provide positive impetus to the project.”
Professor Handa said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this important clinical lead role in advising on the planning and delivery of Jersey’s new hospital, which is so urgently needed. I will work closely with the Island’s clinicians and with wider healthcare providers, to ensure that the new hospital is fit for both current needs and those for future generations.”
In his report to the States Assembly on 3 May, the Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, set out the process for establishing the clinical requirements of the new hospital, for shortlisting potential locations and for agreeing a site after public engagement. The report states that funding of £2.6 million would be allocated for the first phase of the project, with a further £4.8 million for the second phase.
Government of Jersey Press Release.