Hospital patients given ice lollies in heatwave

Cold drinks and ice lollies are some of the ways the government has been keeping patients cool in hospital during recent heatwaves, a minister has said.

The response comes as more than 2,600 people have signed a petition calling for the government to put air conditioning throughout Jersey's General Hospital.

Air conditioning in some operating theatres failed in the May heatwave, affecting 83 patients; at the time Health Minister Senator Tom Binet said new planned health facilities would be "state of the art".

Now responding to the concerns made in the petition, Binet said they were "entirely understandable" and measures had been put in place to "manage the impact" of extreme temperatures.

He said: "Portable air-conditioning units have been deployed across the hospital, and a replacement chiller unit has been installed to ensure our operating theatres can continue to function safely.

"Where appropriate, patients have been moved to air-conditioned areas, and staff have worked hard to keep patients comfortable by providing cold drinks, ice and ice lollies."

Binet added that the existing hospital building was "built for a different era".

He said: "The challenges presented by periods of extreme heat are being felt across our healthcare estate and beyond, particularly within older buildings that were never designed to cope with the high temperatures we are now experiencing more regularly.

"As our climate continues to warm and periods of very hot weather become more frequent and more intense, the limitations of the existing estate become increasingly apparent."

Binet said putting air conditioning units throughout the outgoing hospital was "simply not possible, now or in the future" and concerns reinforced the importance of delivering the new hospital at Overdale.

He said: "There is only so much that can be achieved through temporary measures and adaptations to ageing infrastructure.

"The new Acute Hospital has been designed with the future firmly in mind, including the need to respond to rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events.

"It will incorporate modern ventilation, cooling and environmental control systems from the outset, providing a healthcare environment that is safer, more comfortable and more resilient for patients, visitors and staff."

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