Regular readers of the IW Observer will remember the saga of the Lighthouse Clinic.

Back in March, there were whispers about the potential relocation of the respected dermatology clinic in Newport. Staff were sworn to secrecy, but some dropped hints to patients about a possible move to Portsmouth.

Worried patients contacted the IW Observer, and we embarked on a mission to uncover the truth. What followed was a bureaucratic ping-pong match, with more back-and-forth than an Olympic final.

Our first stop was the clinic itself.  “We can’t say,” they mumbled, passing the bat and ball to the Isle of Wight NHS. The Trust directed us to the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (HIW ICB) – clearly masters of the silent treatment – they decided not to reply.

Our first article drew out some answers
After we published an article questioning the whole charade the ‘director of networked services’ at Portsmouth NHS emerged from the shadows. She declared services would remain on the Island but under “sub-contract” to Portsmouth – not the Isle of Wight NHS, but wouldn’t say why. Mysterious?

An insider tip from the NHS suggested intriguing information is buried in the decision documents. Our curiosity piqued; we fired off Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the relevant bodies.

What ensued was a masterclass in bureaucratic buck-passing.

IW Observer sent from pillar to post
After some to-ing and fro-ing, eventually Portsmouth and IW NHS Trusts both pointed us back to HIW ICB – although in the meantime five people at the IW Trust held a meeting about it . “I think this is going to be bigger than we think, so may need a few of us on it to get what we need for the
response,” one said. We don’t know which one – because sensitive information like that is blanked out.

The final IW answer spoke about “the decision to change the commissioning arrangements,” but they didn’t have any documents. We had to get them from the ICB who made the decision.

We waited with bated breath for this treasure trove of information from the ICB – then waited some more. The ICB must have taken a vow of silence – but they finally asked some bigger players to stand in for them. We received a response via a “Senior FOI Officer” from NHS South Central & West –their motto, hilariously, being “Joining the dots.” They must be using invisible ink, as they said, “There have been no decisions to change the commissioning of the service”. Using that logic they reached the conclusion that they don’t have to disclose any documents either.

That one-page reply took them 12 weeks of thinking time – it’s supposed to be a maximum of four.

The NHS is obviously enjoying the tournament, because the ICB’s answer added that if we want any more information, we must challenge the IW NHS Trust to another ping-pong game – because they were the ones who made the decision!

In the latest twist to the game, the IW NHS now claims to have spent hours searching through papers they told us didn’t exist!

Curious about what they might be hiding? Us too!

The NHS is legally required to be open and transparent, so we decided to show them how it’s done. We’ve now copied their conflicting responses to each other and asked them both once again for the information the public is entitled to see.

Once they sort out if there was a decision and if so, who made it, whether commissioning arrangements have changed or not, who’s got the paperwork and who’s responsible for sharing it – or, if they flat-out refuse, we’ll keep you updated.

If they still don’t answer, we’ll invite John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, to join us in this seemingly endless game of bureaucratic ping-pong. We’re betting on him to take the Gold – as he can force them to disclose the information!

Island patients have a legal right to know how decisions about their health services are made, and we’ll keep playing this game until someone finally yells, “You’ve won!” and spills the beans.

Keep reading your favourite Island newspaper, for the next thrilling episode of “What’s going on behind the scenes at our NHS?”

The IW NHS Trust was asked for a comment, but did not provide one.