Joe Robertson MP has written to the Minister for Care, warning that the social care system on the Isle of Wight is reaching breaking point.
It comes following a £50million cut in Government funding to the local council earlier this year.
In his letter, he makes clear that while the crisis is national, it is particularly acute on the Island, where an older population and limited capacity are placing intense pressure on services.
The Isle of Wight Council already spends nearly two-thirds of its budget on social care and is now having to seek an emergency loan, with no obvious means to repay it.
Mr Robertson warns that Government decisions are now having direct and visible consequences for patients and families. Reports suggest frail and vulnerable patients are being discharged from St Mary’s Hospital to the mainland, away from their families – including a dementia patient moved against his family’s wishes. At the same time, three Island care homes are closing.
Writing to the Minister, he said:
“The crisis in social care is a national problem but it is particularly acute on the Isle of Wight.”
“The situation is inhumane and cannot be allowed to continue.”
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He also described the strain on frontline services, having seen patients being cared for in corridors due to delays in hospital discharge caused in part by a lack of social care capacity.
Mr Robertson is calling on Ministers to take immediate action, warning that the Island cannot wait for wider reforms while services are already under severe pressure.
Last week, Island Echo reported on the closure of several care homes, with one resident dying within hours of being moved.
Social care on the island is intolerable and inhumane. The impact on families is incalculable.
Labour will simply brush aside the letter / review and give out a load of “we inherited a black hole of….”
No worries though, they can still find £3 billion in 2025 to send to Ukraine (watch that rise considerably in 2026)
We were promised an extra £350,000,000.00 a week
after Brexit!
Whatever happened to that!
MORE FALSE PROMISES FROM UNCARING POLITICIANS
absolutely!
The £350m a week was promised by the Brexiteers. Farage and Johnson must carry the can for that. Butthe point is moot here since the £350m was promised to the NHS. The problem Mr Robertson is referring to is solcial care which is funded through local authorities. And it is not just about money – there are simply not enough carers to provide the amount of support needed, esp since families no longer feel any obligation to look after their own
make the bastards pay for their treachery on thursday, vote reform!
Reform won’t change a thing
J
All this while illegal migrants get everything they need, accommodation, laundry, phone credit, pocket money, medical services etc etc because of their human rights. Never mind that our people have worked and paid in all their lives to be treated like rubbish to be dumped wherever.
That is very true, but who will change this!
My guess no one.
Reform make a lot of noise and say what people want to hear
but will they deliver!!
I have a strange feeling that Nige bless him reports to the
same boss as the other parties!
very few people would deny that the support of our elderly needs massive improvement,…
but..
In 2024 to 2025, total expenditure on adult social care totalled £34.5 billion
(but needs a massive amount more)
the asylum system costs roughly £3 billion annually.. (that includes both legal, and ‘illegal’)
so, even if you got rid of all spending on illegal immigrants, (which is absolutely impossibe)… it’d make very little difference.
what UK social care needs is a large increase in tax revenue to fund it properly……
& unless you want that to come from you,.. it’d need to to come from those who can affort it (e.g. the rich) but that’s the exact oposite of what farage intends…
i work hard to make myself wealthy and to ensure I am in a position to pay my way – I do not work just to see more of it taken in taxes to be handed to freeloading welfare spongers
I moved to another country once before and If need be, I will move again, taking all my money and assets with me
Unfortunately, a lot of wealthy people, (not necessarily you) got in that position by exploiting less-well-off people.
(e.g the business owner, paying themselves 6-figure sums, while paying their employees as absolutely little as they can get away with.[e.g. inimum wage, or less if they can])
So, not only acquiring, and accumulating the wealth for themselves, but creating the class of people who, in spite of working all their lives, need help with old-age care, and who you now describe as “freeloading welfare spongers”
& it’s no good saying “well I did it, so anyone who wants to not have issues with money, should do it for themselves as well”….
whilst its true that (almost) anyone could make loads of money if they try,..
the unfortunate truth is, that not everyone can…
‘cos if everyone did, there would be no low paid workers to make the rich people rich..
the bottom line is that wealthy, and very wealthy people are only
so, because a greater number of people are not..
perhaps, in an ideal world, everyone should work well, and have enough wealth to be comfortable, without be poor, or rich..
for everyone to be equal, terms of in wealth and opportunity, is basically communism…, which as history shows, doesn’t work!
(because while every person is equal,.. inevitably some are more equal than others)
But IMHO, in a reasonable society, there should, at least, be some sort of mechanism, to prevent a small number of people from becoming massively wealthy by, and because of, the exploitation of the majority.
Alas, the previous government didn’t subscribe to that ideal, the current government seem to have failed to make any meaningful inroads in that direction, and the wannabe newcomers, seem to be more focussed on keeping the rich, rich, that even the previous ‘blue’ party….
And many people think Reform will wave a magic wand and
solve all the issues
Lol
Not a chance in hell!
If the Council are short of money why not raise more money
like other councils around the country do.
Islandwide permit parking charges.
More speed cameras.
ULEZ charges and if need be a Congestion charge going
into Newport.
Job done, black hole filled.
People will moan but that’s life businesses still
survive and carry on, look at the big smoke for example
they generate Billions of pounds charging such charges
restaurants are full and many shops are busy.
if only it was that simple..
as usual you have no clue as to the reality of it….
not only would most of your ‘ideas’ be impractical, but the infrastructure cost would dwarf any possible financial return…
“If the council are short of money, why not raise more money.” You should be advising the council, I bet that hasn’t crossed their minds. What you suggest wouldn’t even cover the annual running costs, never mind installing all the cameras to oversee it. I presume EVs would be exempt in your Utopia though. And forget speed cameras; as you want to install traffic humps every 10 yards they wouldn’t get much business either. Think before you post, if you can, that is.
Have you not noticed the speeding problem on the
Island.
Specsavers are doing a great deal at the moment.
“Have you not noticed the speeding problem on the Island.”..
No,.. ‘cos everyone is stuck in traffic queues for all the roadworks..
it’s difficult to break the speed limit (even your preferred 20) when you’re stationary.
Way too much priority being given to paying junkies and drunks free handouts and housing. Especially to those bragging about how they can’t come off of benefits ”because it would ruin their life stile”. I used to work for a company that did maintenance in their houses and you won’t believe the things I saw, all bought with free handouts. Gold bling, top of the range phones, full range sky, top of the range computers,tattoos, foreign holidays, recent plate cars and a tv with a screen so big it would piss Panavision off.
This is where the system needs investigating, why should pensioners have to pay tax on money they have paid in to get all their lives, and then go cold because they can’t afford to keep warm enough, why should a war vet have to sleep in a box in a shop door way, and why should a working family have to struggle for just the basics, Someone needs to grow a pair and stop these scrounging leeches taking the piss out of the system like they have been doing so for years. This is where the cuts need to be made .
Bradford huge diverse community is number one on socially deprived list Social services all areas of social care guess who is 2nd?The tiny not so diverse Isle of Wight particularly Child care in Social services,but also including all areas of Social care a tiny Island 36 miles wide 14 wide and we are 2nd in the UK charts for depravation you really need to get your car together Mr Robertson and the other idjeets MP…..and that came from the leader and head of a group over here who was crying with the stress of it all and she is a personal friend.. mite shambolic and it’s bloody disgusting.
Why do we still let the elderly and disabled move here. We have no money. Why don’t they just stay where they raised their families, where they paid council tax, where they once worked?
Instead they leave work, sell their houses (or transfer their Social Housing) and live here and become a drain on our resources.
People should have their social care paid by the authorities they paid into between 21 and 66.