As most of you who have diabetes will be aware, the charity has been engaged with both the Minister For Health & Community Services (HCS), his Director General and her senior officers since November, to bring about much needed improvement to the services and support currently provided within secondary care. The various meetings held have been both open and transparent, evidenced now by the fact that a Business Case has been submitted by HCS for the additional funding required to bring the service to the level it should rightly be.
At this time, the charity is not in a position to provide detail on the Business Plan, but hopes to be able to share it with you in the coming weeks.
Whilst the charity awaits Government approval for this additional funding to be approved, there is much work to be undertaken. One such area is the provision of our support to HCS in their undertaking of a patient questionnaire to assist in the future provision of services. I therefore ask that you not only read the following message from HCS, but fully engage in the provision of honest feedback in due course.
Bill O’Brien
Chairman
Diabetes Jersey
20th August 2020
Update from Health and Community Services (HCS)
Our doctors and nurses have seen first-hand the enormous strain this pandemic has put everyone under. It has been a worrying, frustrating and difficult time for us all and we understand how acutely this has been felt by those with Diabetes. As you know, we have continued to see emergency patients and arranged telephone consultations, but due to Government guidelines we had to stop face-to-face appointments at the Diabetes Centre. We are incredibly pleased to be able to provide these appointments once more.
Throughout this pandemic, Diabetes Jersey and HCS have continued to work together on all aspects of the Diabetes pathway. A Task & Finish group was set up at the beginning of the year which has informed a business case, submitted to the Government of Jersey for consideration as part of the 2021 plan, for additional funding, with the areas of immediate concern being:
improvements to the retinal screening programme
workforce capacity
structured education
access to funded technology
psychological support
Thank you to those of you who have inputted into shaping the present and future of care offered to people with Diabetes in Jersey.
Alongside these plans, in September we will be seeking patient feedback concerning the challenges around access to the Centre during this pandemic, as well as reviewing the contingency plans we put in place. This will help the service understand how best to continue to support our clients and deliver our care going forward. As part of the journey, we will also run sessions in October with all stakeholders to review the Diabetes Strategy for the island before it is put forward to the Council of Ministers.
The support we have had from Diabetes Jersey is invaluable and we have established a relationship based on trust, integrity and honesty. They continue to be an important partner and we look forward to working with them, and you, on the next phase of improved Diabetes care in Jersey.
Rob Sainsbury, Group Managing Director
Patrick Armstrong, Medical Director
Rose Naylor, Chief Nurse
