Isle Of Wight Dementia Patients Still On Mainland - Year On From Specialist Ward Closure

Mentally-ill Islanders with dementia are still living on the mainland, more than year after the closure of a specialist ward at St Mary's Hospital.

And, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust hasn't ruled out sending more patients there either.

It comes 16 months after the permanent closure of Shackleton Ward at St Mary’s Hospital.

The Trust hoped the four-bed unit would reopen last year, but unforeseen circumstances lead to it closing for good last June.

It meant 11 vulnerable and elderly Islanders were forced to relocate to the mainland for treatment. Four of them are yet to return home.

The Isle of Wight NHS Trust says it is 'working closely with units on the mainland to review patient’s placements and plans for their return to the Island.'

A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust said:

‘In June 2019 we closed the Shackleton Ward, a 4 bed unit providing dementia mental health inpatients beds following a review into the quality of care that could be offered. We established a Dementia Outreach Team who provide specialist mental health support for people with dementia and their families in their own homes, including care homes and nursing homes.

‘This service aims to prevent mental health admissions for people with dementia. In the 16 months since Shackleton Ward closed 11 individuals have required admission to mental health dementia beds on the mainland. For people with dementia staying at St. Mary’s hospital, we have a team of Associate Practitioners who support on their day-to-day care.’  

For twelve weeks in April last year, the ward was shut temporarily, following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which rated the service “inadequate” and deemed it “unfit for purpose”.

Concerns were also raised in the report confidential information was not being kept safely. 

June 26 it reopened temporarily before being shut again in August due “staff shortages”, during which patients were sent to the mainland.

Prior to its closure, it was given a £200,000 refurbishment in a bid to make it more appealing for families and patients.

Today, Shackleton Ward has been re-named the Wellow Unit and is used to care for Islanders coming to the end of their life.

A spokesperson added:

‘There are currently four people from the Isle of Wight in specialist dementia care on the mainland. Our Dementia Outreach Team work closely with the specialist dementia unit on the mainland and their adult social care colleagues to review patient’s placements and plans for their return to the island, ensuring they have the right community support they need once back home.

‘We have worked with people who use our services, their families and carers, staff and other stakeholders  to develop a new Mental Health and Learning Disability Strategy ‘no wrong door’, this sets out our intention to provide dementia assessment beds on the island. In the meantime, we will continue to work with families and carers to reduce the need for people with dementia to require admission to mental health specialist beds, but should this be necessary, these will continue to be accessed on the mainland.’

The Isle of Wight NHS Trust has established the Outreach Team to provide specialist support to Islanders and their families and at home and in nursing homes across the Isle of Wight