Earlier today, the Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez published details on how the monies currently in the COVID-19 FUND will be spent. This is money that was donated by the public during the COVID-19 pandemic and which, to date, has not been spent. The fund currently holds £2,721,619.04.

A consultation process was announced last year where members of the public were encouraged to submit their ideas with a total of 83 responses received. In order to assess the responses, Minister Arias-Vasquez set up a “COVID-19 Fund Referral Panel” consisting of three Healthcare professionals and two laypersons.

The Panel first met on 11^th June 2024 and commenced reviewing the detailed bids. Given the wide-ranging submissions received, the panel established the following criteria would be used to assess the bids:

The money SHOULD:

1. Be allocated over a number of years rather than all allocated in the first year.
2. Be invested in equipment that would improve the patient/public experience in the service they are receiving
3. Be invested in initiatives that promote sustainable solutions that impact and improve the health of the community
4. Be used to develop the workforce of the future and invest in learning and training

The money should NOT:

1. Be spent on a single charity or individual.
2. Be allocated to creating new roles and jobs that would, in turn, increase recurrent expenditure and organisational cost pressures.
3. Be spent on projects that are already ongoing and funding identified through alternative routes.

In keeping with the criteria used by the panel, the Minister for Health and Care has agreed that approximately £585,000 will be spent over the course of this year. This will be spent as follows:

1. Training – approx. £20,000
• Masters in Public Health funding for a Health Protection Nurse
• FFP3 mask fit testing training

1. Disability Access – approx. £161,000
• Improve accessibly in the A&E department to cater for patients with disability
• Upgrade the physiotherapy gym to meet accessibility standards and provide inclusive rehabilitation options.
• Enhance accessibility to rainbow ward
• Upgrade ophthalmic services to ensure accessibility for individuals with visual impairments and disabilities
• Enhance the OT department and rehabilitation reception for better accessibility and inclusivity.
• Improve paediatric facilities to support children with disabilities and their families.

1. Equipment – approx. £255,000
• Nursing Anne Simulator
• Replace CPAP machines
• New surgical trolley for endoscopy
• New fridge/freezers
• New Lab incubators
• New lab centrifuges

1. Improving community health and well-being resilience – approx. £65,000
• Mental Health: Anti Stigma Campaign
• Community Outdoor Gyms
• GBC advertising programme

1. Gib Silver – approx. £80,000
• Set-up costs and first year of funding for Gib Silver. A project designed to address loneliness and provide support for elderly individuals in Gibraltar by establishing a helpline and support system

1. Plaque – approx. £1,000
• A plaque will be installed at St Bernard’s Hospital paying tribute to all those who lost their lives to COVID-19, and to all those who worked on the front line throughout the pandemic.

In addition to the above, the Minister has asked that the panel reconvene to determine how best to spend the remaining amount of approximately £2,000,000.00 over the next few years. An announcement will be made at the start of every year explaining the expenditure envisaged for that period.

The Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said: “I am delighted that we are now in a position to announce how the COVID-19 fund will be spent. I am very grateful to everyone who took the time to submit very detailed claims for the panel to review. It is remarkable that, throughout the pandemic, members of the public and commercial entities donated over £2.5 million to the COVID-19 fund. It is only right and proper that we now spend this money on our health and care sector for the benefit of all Gibraltarians. I would like to thank the COVID-19 Fund Referral Panel for their work in reviewing the submissions and in formulating the criteria used to decide its expenditure.”