HEALTH staff were sent to negotiate with a UK-based insurer after the board said not to.

Department member Deputy Mary Lowe (pictured) has revealed that she had been surprised to learn two staff had been sent to discuss bills with WPA after the board had said there would be no negotiations.

Health and Social Services claims the insurer owes more than £300,000 because it has refused since January to pay bills for private care at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.

WPA has complained about an ‘unacceptable’ 23% rise in costs.

Deputy Lowe said the board had give clear directions not to discuss the payments. ‘The board did not know about it until it had happened. It came as a surprise,’ she said. ‘The board had made a very clear decision that there would be no discussion with the WPA.’

She sympathised with the insurer.

‘You can understand why the WPA are mystified – they had false hopes of negotiation when the board said no.’

She said the board’s original decision had been right.

‘I don’t know how the taxpayers would feel about subsidising an insurance company,’ she said. ‘That money could go towards cancer drugs or treatment. It is up to the insurer to set their rates and it is not for the taxpayer to pick up the tab.’

Deputy Lowe was also surprised that the department was choosing not to answer questions put to it by the Guernsey Press.

‘There are no reasons they can’t answer these questions. The questions were in relation to answers they previously gave.’