Hospital discharge delays continue for seventh year

The number of days patients "fit" to leave hospital waited to be transferred to suitable care was triple the monthly target in 2025 - and below target for the seventh year running - a healthcare report for Guernsey has said.

The report, which was published on Monday also indicated all waiting times were longer than targeted, while formal complaints rose by 27% in 2025.

Deputy Dr George Oswald, President of the Committee for Health and Social Care, recognised "challenges remain", with "too many patients" waiting "longer than we would like for treatment".

Addressing these issues would require continued "collaboration across healthcare, social care and the wider community", he added.

In the report, Oswald said staff across Princess Elizabeth Hospital, community services and specialist teams, continued to work with "compassion, skill and professionalism, despite limited resources".

He said the Electronic Patient Record system marked an "important milestone" in modernisation, while work had continued to strengthen mental health and wellbeing services.

The report said a "more meaningful picture" of the care being delivered to islanders would develop as "digital systems and healthcare services" evolve.

The health service is not meeting waiting time targets but it said work was continuing to clear backlogs, while results compared favourably to NHS figures.

Outpatient and inpatient waiting time targets - measuring how long it takes for patients to be referred to an MSG consultant, HSC doctor or visiting consultant - were met 61% of the time, against a target of 91%.

The service aims to see patients within eight weeks for routine appointments, seven days for urgent referrals, 24 hours in an emergency or two weeks for cancer or other specific conditions.

The report said efforts were continuing to address waiting list backlogs, while the percentage of patients seen within waiting times was improving.

Against a target of 99%, 88% of Emergency Department (ED) waiting time targets were met, the report said.

This measure looks at the time from checking in at the ED to when a patient is either admitted or discharged.

This compares to 74% of NHS patients, the report said.

It said Guernsey does not employ junior doctors or have an admissions unit so if a consultant "is already undertaking surgery" or with a patient elsewhere, there could be "a delay in decision making."

A new Waiting List Management Policy was "in the process of being completed".

The hospital has failed to meet its target on the number of days patients stayed in hospital after they were considered fit for discharge.

Against a target of less than 100 median average days a month, there were 298 accrued - indicating the "severity" of the capacity problem, cited the report.

In some cases, the report said, patients may need further help at home or admittance to a nursing or care home.

Delayed transfers "reduce the number of beds available to other patients who need them," the report added.

It cited a "noticeable increase" in the problem since 2021.

It said "while the position remains well above target", there had been a "significant drop year-on-year" from 338 to 298.

It was an "important issue" for health and social care to address, the report said.

There was a 27% rise in formal complaints in 2025, according to the report.

Meanwhile, against a target of 75% of complaints being resolved in 20 operational days, 57% of complaints were dealt with in this time frame.

In 2026, this marker would be moved to 30 days in line with the NHS complaint procedure, the report said.

Dr Michelle Le Cheminant is chair of the Medical Specialist Group (MSG), an independent partnership of medical consultants contracted to provide secondary and specialist medical services.

She said every complaint represented a "moment where we fell short of what a patient or family hoped for" and "each one is taken seriously on its own terms".

She said more complaints did not necessarily indicate a "worsening service".

"It can demonstrate a more responsive and accessible feedback culture, in which patients feel able to speak up and know they will be heard."

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