Isle Of Wight MP Raises Concerns Over Mainland Care Home Placements In Commons Debate

The growing practice of discharging Isle of Wight patients with dementia to mainland care homes has been raised in the House of Commons by Isle of Wight West MP Richard Quigley.

During a debate on Monday (June 15), Mr Quigley highlighted what he described as increasing pressures on adult social care funding on the Island and drew attention to cases where elderly residents have either been discharged, or faced proposed discharge, to mainland care facilities because of a lack of appropriate complex dementia care provision locally.

The debate brought the issue directly to the attention of Preet Kaur Gill, the Minister for Health Innovation and Safety.

Among the cases highlighted was that of 82-year-old Graham Martin, who was moved to Southampton despite his wife of 63 years, Carol, being unable to visit him unaccompanied due to her own health issues and the cost of ferry travel.

Mr Quigley told MPs that Islanders should not be expected to accept lower standards of care because of where they live.

Speaking during the debate, he said:

“As the niece of another patient facing a mainland placement said to me: can you imagine a vulnerable, elderly resident in Westminster being sent to a care home on the Isle of Wight?

"It simply would not happen. And it would not happen because, in other parts of the country, the system would not tolerate separating vulnerable people from their families in this way — yet for the Isle of Wight, that basic standard is simply not applied.”

He also highlighted the impact of ferry travel on families seeking to visit loved ones placed on the mainland.

Mr Quigley said:

“What makes the Isle of Wight a particularly stark case is the added cruelty of our geography - families must cross the Solent, what some estimates have described as the most expensive stretch of water in Europe, simply to visit a loved one who is sick and in need of care that cannot be provided closer to home.”

The MP also used the debate to raise concerns about the way adult social care is funded on the Island.

Following visits to local care providers earlier this year, he said some providers are facing the prospect of making staff redundant or even closing despite rising demand for care.

According to Mr Quigley, smaller community-based providers are frequently subcontracted by larger organisations and paid significantly less, meaning they often do not benefit from commissioning uplifts passed through the system.

Responding to the debate, Ms Gill said:

“We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months and will ensure that the voices of people with lived experience are at the centre of our work to develop the modern service framework.

"I thank my honourable friend (Richard Quigley MP) for bringing his constituents voice to this house.”

She added:

“In closing, I want to recognise the very real concerns raised by families on the Isle of Wight particularly where people with dementia or complex needs have been moved away from their homes and communities.

"While there will be circumstances where temporary placements further from home are necessary care should be provided as close to home as possible, in a way that respects the individual’s needs, preferences and connections to their family and community.”

Following the debate, Mr Quigley pledged to continue working with local care providers, the council and government ministers to secure what he described as a humane and sustainable solution, adding that he will continue pressing for the Island's unique circumstances to be recognised in social care policy and funding.