MPs from the Health and Social Care Committee have visited the Isle of Wight to explore its model for the provision of health and social care.

The visit was part of the committee's Adult Social Care Reform: The Cost of Inaction inquiry. 

The committee chose the Isle of Wight because of its higher proportion of residents aged 65 and above compared to the national average. 

They visited St Mary's Hospital, part of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, the only NHS organisation in the country that provides acute (hospital based) services and ambulance services and also met with met with directors from the Isle of Wight Council, including its strategic director for adult social care and housing.

The MPs also met with community groups including Healthwatch, Age UK and Carers Isle of Wight, as well Care in the Garden, a not-for-profit organisation set up to create work opportunities for adults with additional needs. The busy itinerary also included a visit to Hazel Lodge care home.

Chair of the Committee, Layla Moran, said: ‘We found it very valuable to be able to see first-hand the delivery of health care services and to learn about how the NHS trust, the council and the voluntary sector work to provide health and social care services for a population significantly older than the national average.'

Penny Emerit, chief executive, Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said: ‘We were able to showcase some of the fantastic innovations we already have in place across our integrated acute and ambulance trust and also discuss what changes would help to further progress this and our partnership working.'