Fit patients taking up beds face £500 a day charge

Charges of more than £500 a day have been introduced for patients who remain in hospital after being declared fit for discharge.

The fees are to be paid by adults who choose to stay in hospital more than five days after completion of their treatment for whom suitable care package have been put in place.

Health and Social Services Minister deputy Tom Binet said "last year we lost 1,000 bed nights from people choosing not to take up the arrangements made for them".

The £502 charge for each 24-hour period came into effect on Monday but does not apply to patients with mental health difficulties, those with exceptional personal circumstances and where there are concerns about their safety.

Binet said: "The arrangements have been made, there is a place for these people to go to.

"It's very often the case where people don't want to go to the care home that's not their choice... they feel it's simpler to stay in a hospital.

"If we had a surplus of hospital beds and a surplus of money, it wouldn't matter, but we are short of hospital beds and people in pain are waiting for operations."

The minister sad the new charge would only apply five working days after the patient was due to leave, and "only if a suitable package of ongoing care is in place".

"We're not seeking to penalise people or generate funding, we just want to ensure that hospital beds are only occupied by patients who need hospital care and free up space to treat more patients," Binet said.

Two further changes to eligibility healthcare are due to come into effect on 13 April.

Staff engaged by local employers on work permits will be able to have free ongoing care following emergency treatment in hospital.

Binet said work permit holders "actively contributed to the island's economy for all our benefits".

In addition, visitors to Jersey will no longer receive free emergency hospital care unless a reciprocal health agreement is in place in their country of origin.

UK, France and Portugal, amongst others, already have reciprocal health agreements with the island.

Binet said: "As healthcare costs continue to rise faster than inflation, we must ensure that we make best use of the fixed resources we have, as well as treating people fairly."

He said the current policy of giving free emergency care to visitors meant they could not claim on travel insurance because there was no charge, so it was funded by the public instead of insurers.

"In making these changes, we won't leave people at risk.

"Our first course of action will always be to provide the emergency care people need: a 'provide and then charge' approach, not 'charge and then provide'," he added.

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