Care home inquiry finds 'number of shortcomings'

An independent inquiry into a £1.3m overspend on a care home extension has found there were "a number of shortcomings in the project's administration and management".

The inquiry was tasked with examining where accountability lies for the soaring costs of the 13-room extension to the States-owned Connaught Care Home.

The States of Alderney said while the project governance was correctly structured, the report provided recommendations that the General Services Committee (GSC) would endorse and apply to its future major capital projects.

The GSC said it recognised the public interest in the matter and had agreed for the inquiry to be published in full on the States of Alderney website.

The inquiry, which took place in private was led by Martin Thornton, a judge from Guernsey Magistrates' Court.

Iain MacFarlane, chair of the GSC said: "The report highlights issues with oversight and communication across various responsible bodies and third parties.

"However we can now be responsible and accountable to learn and move forward from the findings of the inquiry and create a framework that can be applied when the States of Alderney takes on major capital projects."

Planning permission was granted for the extension in St Anne in 2019 and £1.29m was approved for the project in March 2020.

It was previously reported that, overall, the States had approved spending of £2.367m.

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