By Press Release
The Isle of Wight NHS Trust has refused to answer questions about how £10 million came to be passed to Portsmouth University Hospital to help pay for a new ward.
The money was part of a £48 million allocation made to the Island’s trust during the Covid pandemic and the controversial decision has attracted criticism from many Islanders. Although the money has been used to help construct a new ward, which is now fully open, there is no guarantee that beds will be available for Islanders when they are needed as they are in general use.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the IW Observer, asking for details of how the decision was made and copies of the supporting evidence that was taken into account, a statement came from the hospital which said: “The information you have requested is linked to a business case, currently being reviewed by regulators as they consider funding approval.”
However, another FOI made to Portsmouth University Hospital revealed that the £10 million has already been paid to them in eight tranches between March 2021 and February this year.
The IW Observer has asked for an internal review of the decision to withhold relevant information and will appeal the decision to the Information Commissioner if necessary.
A further FOI request to the IW NHS Trust revealed that less than half of the board have an Isle of Wight address. A statement from the trust said: “All members of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust executive team, as with any other role, are appointed for their particular skill set and for the expertise that they can bring to the role.”
Only nine of the nineteen members of the board have Island addresses.