Jersey's health department has said there is no compensation route available to patients of the island's rheumatology service, after an independent report found serious failings.
A "significant number" of patients are said by lawyers to be seeking legal redress.
In some cases, patients were wrongly diagnosed and got the wrong medication. The report was conducted after the deaths of 182 rheumatology patients in Jersey since 2019.
The health department said it had been looking into a compensation scheme but no such route was currently available and it had advised anyone wishing to make a claim to contact Citizens Advice.
A Royal College of Physicians report found the standard of care provided by the service in 2023 to be "well below" an acceptable standard.
In April 2024, Deputy Tom Binet, minister for health and social services, said he was committed to publishing an action plan by the end of June that year to ensure the completion of recommendations included within the review.
Deputy Jonathan Renouf has since tabled a written question to the States, requesting an update and asking if the department was still considering a group compensation scheme.
The department said it had been exploring the possibility of a compensation scheme in relation to rheumatology complaints and claims, but "currently there is no such route available".
"Patients and relatives are being advised to seek independent on-Island legal advice should they wish to consider making a claim," the department said.
The response went on to say that Citizens Advice Jersey might be able to provide further information on how to do this.
The health department said 12 of the recommendations made in the review had now been implemented, with a further five nearing completion.
There were four outstanding recommendations that still needed to be actioned, including a full rollout of electronic prescribing and medicines administration across all outpatient areas.
The licensing and full functionality of this was dependent on future funding and digital service capacity and "this remains a strategic priority for 2026", the response added.
