The chief executive of St Helier Hospital has said we all have a collective responsibility not to talk about a “doomsday scenario”.

The statement came at last night’s Health and Well Being Scrutiny Committee where Matthew Hopkins, the chief executive and the transaction director, Jon Sargeant, gave an update on the future of St Helier Hospital.

Throughout the meeting Mr Hopkins stressed the need to be positive and said: “If we continue to talk about the negatives- the negatives will come to will.”

He also said that claims the hospital is in a “critical condition” could not be “further from the truth”.

He said that it was “very much business as usual”.

The meeting addressed recent issues including the collapse of St Helier’s merger with St Georges and the announcement that one hospital out of four is likely to lose both its A&E and maternity units as part of an NHS review.

Councillor Roger Roberts said Mr Hopkins and Mr Sargeant had talked in “rather upbeat” terms about the de-merger but asked what forward planning they had done and added that he had seen nothing so far which had given him any confidence.

Jon Sargeant said that the Trust Board were revisiting all their options and Matthew Hopkins said they were still in the midst of talking with key people in the NHS hierarchy but that it was not appropriate to say yet- at this stage.

Mr Hopkins said: “We have a bit of time to work through what the options might be.”

Concerns were also raised about the £219m redevelopment of St Helier and decant from Ferguson House.

Jon Sargeant said they have just signed off the initial report for the decant and it has been classed amber-green or “likely to succeed”.

Councillor Lester Holloway asked them to give reassurances about how well-placed St Helier was to avoid its services being axed.

Mr Hopkins replied: “If it is about the quality of services then I think St Helier is well placed.”