HEALTH and Education have poured scorn on a predicted £1m. a year saving on off-island placements. The Public Accounts Committee expressed disappointment in its annual report that the departments had done little to change their approach after a National Audit Office report identified the potential savings.

It was the subject of the committee’s first report and a follow-up review will be taken to the States later this year.

Health minister Peter Roffey said it had been very supportive of what the NAO was saying about making off-island placements more effective.

‘Although we remain deeply sceptical about the £1m. saving figure, it seems to have been plucked out of the air by the NAO,’ he said.

‘We have been doing our best to set up the structure suggested in the report.

‘There were two things: setting up panels to review requests for off-island placements and to centralise funding dispersed between ourselves, Social Security and Education.’

The panel is now set up, he said.

‘We regret it’s taken so long, but it’s been like wading through porridge trying to set up the structure,’ he added.

‘There’s a degree of administration required but we were not able to secure extra staff time under the staff number limitation policy, despite the predicted savings.

‘We’ve had to try and eke hours out here and there among our existing staff, which we’ve been able to do now.’

He added that Social Security had moved very quickly to centralise funds to Health.

‘But negotiations with Education have been more protracted and are ongoing.

‘The sooner they are able to take steps suggested by the NAO of making their funds available to a central pot as opposed to holding on to them, the sooner we’ll be able to realise the proposals in the report.’

He added that off-island placements were one area of finance it was very keen to control: ‘We’re going as quickly as we can with the obstacles in the way.’

Education minister Martin Ozanne said it would never achieve savings close to the £1m. a year suggested.

‘There will always be quite a number of special needs people, children and adults, that will require off-island placement. A small island like Guernsey can’t cater for in some cases very difficult situations,’ said Deputy Ozanne.

He added that that would be the case even if there were extra facilities.

‘Some of these costs are very expensive.

‘There are some youngsters who have physical and mental needs that need constant surveillance, not just at school time – self-harming for one – but 24/7. These are the facilities little Guernsey can’t really afford.’

He added the department worked closely with Health and placements were taken only as a last resort and in the best interests of that person.

In the long-term, with Le Rondin and new facilities at Le Murier and Oakvale, it is hoped to reduce off-island placements, he said.

‘But until all these provisions are available, then we’re still faced with these very difficult decisions that have to be made.’