TOWARDS the end of last month, this newspaper criticised the isolationist thinking of States Housing and how that could compromise the ability of other departments to deliver public services.

It drew a furious response from the minister but today we are able to highlight the extent to which problems of staff recruitment and retention in just one area – Health and Social Services – has hit crisis proportions and the ongoing role of Housing in that sorry mix.

When we asked HSSD some weeks ago about plans to close beds on Giffard Ward, the response was less than honest. Now, with 10 beds out, we can confirm Health had commissioned a special report a year ago on these very issues.

It concluded then that 2008 staffing was not sustainable and likely to deteriorate and asked for more flexibility on Housing licences and the easing of immigration restrictions.

We have also established what the Health minister really thinks about Housing: no one dares to rock the boat, that there is a ‘Guernsey way’ of doing things and in any event the then deputy Housing minister was generally opposed to granting licences.

At the highest level, then, an acknowledgment of at least the perception of political bias within Housing and the harm that could do to States operations.

In its formal response yesterday to this newspaper, HSSD attempted to maintain the charade that relationships with Housing are fine when in reality Housing’s officers will openly tell applicants that requests for licences are a lottery when they go before the political board, no matter what the official view on them is.

No wonder Tribal Helm was so critical of the effect of Housing’s decisions on other departments.

This isn’t just about Housing, however. In trying to attract nurses here, Health is advertising ‘…a jaw-dropping bonus of £1,000 after one year’s service, eye-popping £3,500 on completing two years’ [service] and a staggering £757 each February, you’ll have more cash to splash’.

What islanders will be asking is why so much of their cash has to be splashed getting people to work here – and where the fault lies.