Tax increases ‘needed’ to support Guernsey’s ageing population

The States must look at increasing taxes to support the health service and ageing population, the boss of a health charity has said.

CEO of Health Connections Bella Farrell said: “There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that we have to increase taxes if we want to have support.”

She added: “We have to really invest in strong community support,” as well as services to support prevention and help people who are living longer but “not better, not healthier”.

Her comments came after Public Health’s report into Guernsey and Alderney mortality trends between 2022 and 2024 showed an increase in the proportion of deaths due to dementia or Alzheimer’s, which continued a 20-year increasing trend.

Jenny Cataroche, the head of Health Intelligence, said the increase in deaths from dementia were “not unexpected” as people were living longer and it was not unique to Guernsey.

She said as there are improvements in treatments for other illnesses “there is an increased likelihood of dying of other causes”, including dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Dr Nicola Brink, the director of Public Health, said it was important to focus on people in their 30s, 40s and 50s to work on “modifiable risk factors” such as alcohol consumption, smoking, managing hypertension and to “take control of their health”.

She said it was also important to make the island a place where people can thrive and make it easy to do physical activity.

Dr Brink said an increase in dementia was “inevitable” with predicted population increases over the next 20 years.

“At the moment the curve is going up. I want to see that flattened. It’s going back to those treatable causes.”