Jersey Hospice Care contracts (FOI)

Request

Following the passage of P82 in 2012 various contracts with providers external to HCS were set up. One of these was with Jersey Hospice Care and involved the use of public money to support palliative care in the community. What were the terms of this contract and the funding involved?

Presumably there have been annual renewals and I would like to ascertain the scope of work and the cost involved.

[Personal information redacted] which should have extended Jersey Hospice Care scope of work from caring for just cancer / motor neurone related problems to all end of life care. There may also have been a clause around 24/7 care, but the final contract details were not shared. Given that public money is involved I hope I’m right in assuming that it is reasonable to ask how it has been spent.

Response

Jersey Hospice Care (JHC) through the funding proposed in P82, were commissioned to deliver a service that is available to residents of Jersey who are registered with a Jersey GP, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexuality, faith, or gender. It is provided for patients requiring Specialist Palliative Care who have an active, progressive, advanced or terminal illness and a complex level of need.

The key elements of Service are:

• specialist Palliative Care to adults 

• palliative care education and training to the wider health and social care community

• advice and support to health and social care professionals, patients and carers

The service is provided on the following terms:

• clinical case management of patients with complex Specialist Palliative Care needs - Seven days a week 0900-1700hrs including weekends and bank holidays

• 24-hour telephone advice

• emergency visits outside of normal hours

• provision of training and education support to health care professionals and others - Monday- Friday 0900-1700hrs excluding weekends and bank holidays

The information in respect of the value of the contract is already in the public domain, in JHC annual accounts. Article 23 (Information accessible to applicant by other means) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied. Please see the following link:

Jersey Hospice Care 2019 Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements

Article applied:

Article 23: Information accessible to applicant by other means:

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for the information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information