TG WORRIED BY A GHA IN A STATE OF DISARRAY

Together Gibraltar is extremely concerned by reports coming from within the Hospital  of a multitude of managerial bad practices that are impacting the morale of the  workers and the quality of the services provided. These reports, which the party has  been asked to keep anonymous due to fear of reprisals, come from Hospital staff,  patients and families of service users alike. Some of these have also been echoed by  civil society platforms. 

Mental health provision continues to deteriorate despite the launch of a new  Strategy. 

As highlighted by the Mental Welfare Society, it continues to be very difficult for  people to get appointments with a psychologist or a psychiatrist, and when they do,  these are often cancelled. Instead, patients in need of specialised attention are being  seen by approved “Mental Health Practitioners”, who often lack the necessary skills  and qualifications to deal with acute cases. It has also been brought to the party’s  attention that mental health professionals are either resigning or not having contracts  renewed, and that these changes often occur in the midst of bad managerial  practices, seemingly arbitrary decision making and nepotism. 

In the meantime the Minister for Health, Samantha Sacramento, delivered a  presentation on the Gibraltar Mental Health Strategy before the Joint Ministerial  Council in London. TG wonders whether the current failings of the system and its  further deterioration since the new strategy was introduced were discussed. TG is  well aware that this is an unfolding, five-year strategy, but it is also aware that many  of the users of this service simply cannot wait any longer. Government must ensure  that the necessary resources are made available now. 

Nepotism has become an endemic problem. 

TG would also like to report that, unfortunately, the issues of bad management do  not relate exclusively to the area of mental health provision. The party has received a  plethora of testimonies reporting arbitrary and nepotistic decision-making in GHA  human resources management, with the least qualified and experienced candidates  being appointed over other, better qualified candidates on the basis of nationality or  political allegiance. Together Gibraltar understands the need to provide employment  for the local workforce, however, it does not condone these policies in a GHA  context. The party believes that the lives of our citizens should be in the hands of the  best an brightest professionals we can access, and that only meritocracy should  guide the management of human resources in our Hospital. 

To make matters worse, Minster for Health, Samantha Sacramento, has now for  months been ignoring attempts from TG leader, Marlene Hassan Nahon, to make  representations to her on behalf of aggrieved citizens. The Minister is simply ignoring  repeated requests to discuss important health issues affecting constituents, a  practice that goes against what has become the norm for Ministers in Gibraltar, certainly for Ms Hassan Nahon in her dealings with previous ministers. 

All these issues contribute to a growing sense that the GHA is in a general state of  disarray, something that is being perceived both by workers and service users and  that requires drastic and urgent action from Government.