Vix Lowthion shares this latest news on behalf of Isle of Wight Green Party. In her own words. Ed
Isle of Wight Green Party are calling for Boris Johnson to show he really supports our Isle of Wight NHS, through properly funding the service – starting with two significant vacancies on the Island in consultant roles.
Not only is there no longer a Mental Health consultant for outpatients at Chantry House, but now the Uro-oncologist (Dr Boote), who came over from Portsmouth each week, has retired and patients have been told it could take up to six months to find a replacement – if at all.
Expert care is vital
Prostate cancer will affect one in nine men at some point in their lives, and expert care is vital when it comes to successful medical treatment.
Patients already travel to Portsmouth for radiotherapy, so it is possible that the next steps from the IW NHS Trust may be that normal appointments are out-sourced there too.
Patients already travel to Portsmouth for radiotherapy, so it is possible that the next steps from the IW NHS Trust may be that normal appointments are out-sourced there too.
£48m funding for buildings and IT
This news comes on the day that Boris Johnson awarded £48million to the Trust – but only for Capital projects (buildings and IT) and not to protect the quality of existing services on the Island.
Lowthion: Recruitment at consultant level a real challenge
Vix Lowthion, IW Green Party spokesperson said
“The question is simple – who is the consultant responsible for the care of prostate cancer patients on the Island? Members of the IW Prostate Cancer support group are yet to get a proper answer to that question from the IW CCG or the NHS Trust.
“The cash boost announced by the government today will not alleviate the stress and worry caused by the current significant challenges of recruiting consultant level staff for St Mary’s.”
Lowthion: Compulsory travel to mainland not an acceptable future
She went on to say,
“With the Acute Services Redesign now back on the agenda, the proposal to cut 11% of services on the Island and increase the frequency that patients will need to travel to the mainland is a very real threat.
“Money for buildings and IT facilities are pointless if there are no qualified staff to take care of cancer patients. The government and our NHS Trust must make recruitment of such essential staff a priority: compulsory travel to the mainland for sick patients is not an acceptable or sustainable future for the residents of the Isle of Wight.”
