This in from the Isle of Wight branch of UKIP. It’s in their words – Ed.
UKIP IW candidate Iain McKie announces that he will make plans for the establishment of cottage hospitals on the Island an election pledge.
He said that following consultation with health professionals at St Mary’s, Newport, and on the mainland, GP led cottage hospitals would benefit health on the Island in a number of ways:
“There used to be eleven hospitals on the Island, now there is only one. In some cases, patients are being released early after operations, and many are not fully capable of looking after themselves following procedures.
“For the 17% of Island pensioners who live on their own this is a worry. Very often they are being returned to St Mary’s via A and E when they have gone home only to find that they are not well enough to care for themselves, or have someone who can help. This is blocking the admissions into A and E.
“Also, from a compassionate way of thinking, convalescence in Newport is not always the most appropriate for Islanders. Many have relatives and carers who cannot drive, and getting to St Mary’s can be difficult.
“Therefore, from a logistical and a caring perspective it makes perfect sense to me that we call for the establishment of smaller hospitals across the Island.
“The need for these will become more apparent as our population is set to increase by another eight to ten thousand by 2020. Where will the budget for these hospitals come from? The IW pays around £45 million each year to the UK Treasury as its share of the cost of EU membership, so there’s a start.”
Frank James Cottage Hospital Image: Shalfleet.net via Wikipedia under a CC BY 3.0 license
