Twenty-eight miles is a relatively short distance unless you live on Scilly and need access to healthcare. A representative from theCornwall Community Foundation Trust (CCFT) and I spent a day on StMary's meeting those that deliver healthcare on the islands and thosethat rely on it. Community healthcare services transfer from PeninsulaCommunity Health to a CCFT-led coalition in April and it is importantthat we fully understand what health services are currently providedon Scilly and how these can be increased. On April 1st services return to NHS providers and a smooth transition is anticipated.
However, this comes at a time when there is a commitment to integratehealth and social care and the formal integration of services has thebenefit of providing improved continuity of care for patients andbetter use of NHS and Adult Social Care funds. This is true across both Cornwall and on the Isles of Scilly. We met with Isles of ScillyHealthwatch and staff and patients in St Mary's Hospital. We visited the Living Well Project, the Memory Cafe and met staff at Park HouseResidential Home. We met patients who have faced all sorts of problemsattending mainland appointments and then we experienced the problem ourselves when thick fog grounded the planes and forced an overnightstay. This caused no hardship for my colleague and I but it broughthome the need to increase the number of health services provided on St Mary's, such as cancer treatments, and to make better use of technology so that some consultations can be done using Telehealth.
We now know that the EU referendum takes place on June 23rd. I fullysupported the Government's commitment to give the British public asay. Undoubtedly the issue will dominate politics and the media for thenext four months and it will be difficult to know who to believe. I ama natural Euro-sceptic but I firmly believe we should all havereliable information about the benefits or otherwise of our membership of the EU. I am continuing to explore a mechanism whereby an independent
lay-person's fact-sheet can be provided for voters.