Inside emergency department as demand rises

The clinical lead of Jersey's emergency department says the demand for healthcare is rising due to an ageing population and more complex conditions.

Dr Catherine King said when it is busy in A&E "it's stressful, not just for us as people working here, but for patients as well".

Almost half of Jersey's government spending in 2024 went towards health and supporting people who were sick or in older age.

BBC Jersey has been hearing from those on the front line of A&E, as well as those shaping the island's long-term health.

Health and Care Jersey estimated 14,000 patients a year used the emergency department for treatment which could instead be provided by their GP.

Dr King said: "We don't like people being in A&E for a long time.

"We don't like them being down here, having to have food down here, having to have dinner down here. It's just not the care that we would like to offer.

"But I would say that [situation], it's not Jersey-specific."

To alleviate pressures on the island's health services, £4m in recurrent funding has been invested by the States Assembly into measures preventing ill health.

The most recent projections from 2024 suggest by 2043 cases of dementia could increase by 52%, heart failure by 42%, and cancer by 21%.

Daniella Raffio, deputy director of strategic commissioning at public health, said the funding would be used to "really try and turn the curve on people's health".

"We're already seeing chronic disease increase, particularly in young people, which is really worrying.

"People are getting more unhealthy. So that's that's the kind of direction we're going in if we don't do something now," she said.

Specialist paramedics were also introduced over winter in Jersey to help manage demand.

They could treat some patients at home, with blood tests processed by the hospital laboratory within an hour.

Head of operational resilience at Healthcare Jersey, James Basilio-Mason, said: "Earlier diagnostics is allowing us to understand if the patient is presenting with RSV, influenza or Covid to ensure earlier management and coordinating arrangements in the emergency department."

It is people like Alice Palmer who benefit from the island's healthcare system.

She said she credited local doctors for saving her son's life after complications during childbirth.

She said: "They're amazing. [My baby] was born three months early.

"I went into labour - it was a big shock.

"The midwifery department were absolute heroes."

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