Jersey health appointment costs cut by £10

Costs for certain healthcare appointments have been cut by £10 in Jersey.

The government said the subsidy would be for nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, health care assistants and telephone consultations in general practice.

It follows previous reductions to the cost of GP appointments in Jersey after £20 was cut in 2023 and £30 in 2024.

The government said reducing GP service fees was a "priority" to ease financial pressures on households and help islanders access GP care early and without fear of high costs.

​​​​The government said the subsidy would not apply to out-of-hours services provided by Jersey Doctors on Call, or for patients in the Health Access Scheme who paid fixed reduced fees for GP services.

People living in Jersey are required to pay for most healthcare, including GP appointments, non-emergency hospital treatment, dentistry, pharmacists and ante-natal clinics.

Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham said she was pleased to introduce the new support.

She said: "I'm grateful to general practice for working with us to deliver this important expansion.

"Together, we are working to strengthen a high-quality, accessible and flexible primary care system for all islanders."

Dr Gordon Callander, from the island's Primary Care Body, said practices were doing all they could to minimise the impact of costs for patients.

"It is great that the important work of practice nurses, healthcare assistants, paramedics and pharmacists is recognised by Employment, Social Security and Housing ​to allow the evolution of services offered to patients," Dr Callander added.

The move has received some criticism over concerns about increased expenditure on the Health Insurance Fund.

St Helier North Deputy Max Andrews said figures he received from the social security minister had shown the value of the fund was forecast to drop from just under £93,998,000 in 2025 to £67,375,000 in 2028.

He said: "The fund value is forecast to decrease, as the figures show, so the last thing the minister should be doing is bringing about additional expenditure measures.

"I understand there are cost-of-living pressures. However, without an intervention to maintain the fund value, we could see the Health Insurance Fund deplete sooner than we anticipated."

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