Future of hospital care to be discussed at public events

The public is being reminded of a series of events in June at which they will have the chance to discuss the nature of hospital care provided on the Isle of Wight in future.

The events will give members of the public the opportunity to question health professionals on potential new approaches to delivering care for Islanders, which could result in 11 per cent of the most complex, specialist acute care procedures being delivered by hospitals on the mainland in the next three-five years.

The first of these information events is a two-hour ‘Question Time’ style discussion on June 11 from 6-8pm at Cowes Enterprise College at which members of the public can put questions to a panel of health professionals and also share their views on the proposals.

The panel comprises a range of health experts, including:

  • Mr Steve Parker (Clinical Lead for Acute Service Redesign and Interim Medical Director, IW NHS Trust)
  • Dr Barbara Stuttle CBE (Chief Nurse, IW NHS Trust)
  • Vaughan Thomas (Chair, IW NHS Trust)
  • Loretta Outhwaite (Deputy Chief Officer, Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (IWCCG))
  • Gillian Baker (Director of Strategy & Partnerships, IWCCG),
  • Dr Michele Legg (GP and Chair of IWCCG Governing Body),
  • Richard Samuel (Hampshire & IOW Sustainability and Transformation Lead).

Tickets for the free event – which takes place between 6pm and 8pm – are available in advance from the offices of Isle of Wight Radio and Isle of Wight County Press offices, both in Newport.

Those not wishing to attend the Question Time style event in person on the night can follow the debate which will be broadcast live on-air on IW Radio and both the Isle of Wight County Press and IW Radio will take questions via social media on the night. Questions can be emailed in advance to ​questions@iwcp.co.uk and NHS@iwradio.co.uk

In addition to this event, people can attend any of four drop-in sessions happening across the Island where, once again, senior health professionals will be available to answer questions. These events are on:

  • Tuesday 19 June, 4pm to 7pm, The Heights (Café area), The Broadway, Sandown PO36 9ET
  • Tuesday 26 June, 4pm to 7pm, West Wight Sports & Community Centre (Café area) Moa Place, Freshwater, PO40 9XH
  • Wednesday 27 June, 4pm to 7pm, Ryde Library, George Street, Ryde, PO33 2JE
  • Thursday 28 June 10.30am to 1.30pm, Riverside Centre, Hunnyhill Room, The Quay, Newport PO30 2QR

Gillian Baker, director of strategy and partnerships for the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It is really important that we explain the reasons behind the proposals and what hospital care for the Isle of Wight might look like in the future so that people can ask questions and put forward their views. It is vital that we have a full and open discussion with the Island community as we continue to develop our plans ahead of a full consultation.”