08 March 2018
An island-wide opinion survey of 1,000 Islanders reveals that two-thirds of the public think it is better for the government to build a new hospital at the current site, rather than delay the project any further.
The survey, conducted on behalf of the States of Jersey by the UK polling company, ComRes, found very strong support for a new hospital:
- 90% of Islanders say the plans for a new hospital are important
- 80% of Islanders say the government should build a new hospital as soon as possible
- 15% say we don’t need a new hospital
- 12% say it is a waste of money
Opinion about the location is more divided:
- 51% agree that building a new hospital on the current hospital site is the right decision
- 47% disagree
- a third (34%) of the 47% who disagree that building on the current site is the right decision still agree that it is better to build there than delay any further. This equates to 16% of the total Jersey population
According to ComRes, when combining these two proportions together, two thirds of respondents (67%) either agree that building on the current hospital site is the right decision or say they would accept this location for the sake of building the hospital without further delay.
Senator Andrew Green, Minister for Health and Social Services, said: “The debate over the location for our new hospital can now be put to bed. The site has been agreed by Ministers, the States Assembly and the planning inspector, the Scrutiny Panel’s independent advisers confirmed that the selection process was robust, and two-thirds of the public state that we should get on and build there rather than delay any further.
“While the survey shows a slim majority of the public in favour of the chosen site, it also shows that a third of those who don’t like the location would still rather we build there than delay. This, together with the 80% who say we should build a new hospital as soon as possible, is a powerful mandate for the hospital project to get on with it.”
The hospital project is presenting its revised plans to States Members on Monday 12 March. This will be followed by a public exhibition running throughout the week until Saturday 17 March.
ComRes report on hospital survey
ComRes: States of Jersey Modernisation
gov.je