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Should I move to the Isle of Wight?
​Thinking of extending your holiday by moving to the Isle of Wight? Here's our guide to house prices, schools, job opportunities and quality of life!
Q. Is there much to do on the Isle of Wight?
Yes! Whilst most people move to the Isle of Wight for a slower pace of life, the Island is (in my view) actually a really interesting place to live. There are numerous summer festivals, carnivals and events as well as miles of beautiful beaches, 500 miles of public footpath, interesting wildlife and more sunshine than most of the UK (500 hours a year more than London). There are dozens of decent attractions for children as well as plenty of free things to do and loads of places to eat out.
It's also small enough that you can get anywhere within 25 minutes from the centre but not so small that you need to be constantly hopping to the mainland. Generally speaking, you don't ever 'need' to go to the mainland as the Isle of Wight has all the usual facilities such as large supermarkets, schools, a hospital, dentists, cinemas, a bowling alley etc.
I will admit that things do slow down somewhat during the winter and that nightlife is pretty limited compared to a city - which may be frustrating for older teenagers and 20 somethings. However, many islanders enjoy winter seaside walks when car parking is easier and the roads are quieter.
Read our blog post called: 'An Isle of Wight myth: there's nothing for teenagers'
It's also small enough that you can get anywhere within 25 minutes from the centre but not so small that you need to be constantly hopping to the mainland. Generally speaking, you don't ever 'need' to go to the mainland as the Isle of Wight has all the usual facilities such as large supermarkets, schools, a hospital, dentists, cinemas, a bowling alley etc.
I will admit that things do slow down somewhat during the winter and that nightlife is pretty limited compared to a city - which may be frustrating for older teenagers and 20 somethings. However, many islanders enjoy winter seaside walks when car parking is easier and the roads are quieter.
Read our blog post called: 'An Isle of Wight myth: there's nothing for teenagers'
Q. Are house prices high on the Isle of Wight?
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As a rule of thumb, house and other property prices on the Isle of Wight are lower than most of the South but more than most of the Midlands and North of England.
As of February 2016, the average value of houses on the Isle of Wight was £225,000, compared to £329,000 for Hampshire, £158,000 for Nottinghamshire and £154,000 for Lancashire (source: Zoopla, 2016). Of course, the Isle of Wight has cheaper and more expensive parts. In order of average value: |
House prices are highest in Yarmouth
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- Yarmouth (current average value of £367,000)
- Bembridge (£338,000)
- Totland Bay (£279,000)
- Ventnor (£243,000)
- Cowes (£235,000)
- Freshwater (£228,000)
- Binstead (£228,000)
- Shanklin (£220,000)
- Newport (£206,000)
- Ryde (£206,000)
- Sandown (£204,000)
- East Cowes (£195,000)
(Source: Zoopla, February 2016, 'current average value').
So, you could certainly pick up a 3-bed terrace or semi-detached house in a seaside town such as Sandown for around £170,000.
You may want to check out our guide to which Isle of Wight town should I stay in? That will give you an idea of what the different towns are like.
Q. Are there any unusual restrictions around house buying on the Isle of Wight?
No, not that I know of. The Isle of Wight is treated in the same way as any other English county, with the same banks offering the same mortgages. You don't have to pay more for some properties or anything like that if you weren't born on the Isle of Wight (unlike Guernsey which has some different rules). If you can buy a house in Hampshire, you can buy a house on the Isle of Wight.
You also don't have to undergo any rituals or initiation ceremonies like running over hot coals when you arrive. We're really very normal.
You also don't have to undergo any rituals or initiation ceremonies like running over hot coals when you arrive. We're really very normal.
Q. What are house rental prices like on the Isle of Wight?
If you’re looking for long term rental properties (as opposed to short term holiday rentals), then prices seem to follow a similar pattern to the house buying market.
As of February 2016, the overall average monthly rental price (according to Home.co.uk) was around £700 on the Isle of Wight compared to £1174 in Hampshire, £755 in Nottinghamshire and £595 in Lancashire. So, it's similar to the house buying market where the Isle of Wight is cheaper than most of the South, but more similar in price or more expensive than the Midlands and North.
Using the same source (Home.co.uk, February 2016), the average price for a two bedroom property is £612 per month. Three bedrooms would cost you around £778 and then there’s a jump up to £1087 for four bedrooms. However, the data sets are pretty small (there are only 29 four bedroom properties listed according to Home.co.uk) and a quick search on Rightmove shows that there are a handful available in the £800 - £900 per month price bracket.
The data shows that there are loads of two bedroom properties and loads of flats (about 150 adverts according to Home.co.uk), but a relatively small number of houses (about 130 adverts).
Not surprisingly, towns with cheaper houses to buy are also cheaper to rent. Ryde has a median rent of £563, Sandown's median rent is £612 whilst Bembridge is £650 (based on very small data sets at Home.co.uk)
It is worth noting that (according to these figures) buying a property in Bembridge might cost you almost twice as much as one in Sandown, but renting one is only about 20% more expensive.
As of February 2016, the overall average monthly rental price (according to Home.co.uk) was around £700 on the Isle of Wight compared to £1174 in Hampshire, £755 in Nottinghamshire and £595 in Lancashire. So, it's similar to the house buying market where the Isle of Wight is cheaper than most of the South, but more similar in price or more expensive than the Midlands and North.
Using the same source (Home.co.uk, February 2016), the average price for a two bedroom property is £612 per month. Three bedrooms would cost you around £778 and then there’s a jump up to £1087 for four bedrooms. However, the data sets are pretty small (there are only 29 four bedroom properties listed according to Home.co.uk) and a quick search on Rightmove shows that there are a handful available in the £800 - £900 per month price bracket.
The data shows that there are loads of two bedroom properties and loads of flats (about 150 adverts according to Home.co.uk), but a relatively small number of houses (about 130 adverts).
Not surprisingly, towns with cheaper houses to buy are also cheaper to rent. Ryde has a median rent of £563, Sandown's median rent is £612 whilst Bembridge is £650 (based on very small data sets at Home.co.uk)
It is worth noting that (according to these figures) buying a property in Bembridge might cost you almost twice as much as one in Sandown, but renting one is only about 20% more expensive.
Looking for discount Isle of Wight ferry travel?
Q. Are there many jobs on the Isle of Wight?
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Unfortunately, the Isle of Wight does tend to have higher unemployment levels than other parts of the South East region, though of course there are jobs out there in certain sectors. According to the Isle of Wight County Press, those claiming jobseekers allowance in May 2013 was double the South East average and a little higher than the national average. A 2015 report claimed '1.5% of the resident Isle of Wight population aged 16-64 are persons claiming JSA – 0.5% more than the rest of the South East (1.0%), and 0.2% less than the whole of the UK (1.7%)'.
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Tourism is a big employer
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A similarly bleak report claimed that in 2012, 'the proportion of people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) on the Island never fell below the south east average in 2012, even during the peak holiday season' (quoted in Isle of Wight County Press).
An Oxford Economics study from 2010 found that of those in employment, approximately 16% work in health, 15% in distribution, 11% in hotels and catering, 10% in business services, 10% in education, 8% in 'other personal services' (fnarrr..) and 6% in construction (more detail).
A pretty ancient council report from 2003 reported that: "There are very few large firms on the Island and 5 of the 14 employing over 200 people are in the public sector. Tourism and retail accounts for over 30% of employment, public administration for nearly 30%, manufacturing between 17 and 24% (depending on statistics used), finance and business 8% and agriculture 3%."
Another rather outdated report from 2004 listed transport equipment, electrical and optical equipment, chemicals, machinery and metals as being amongst the biggest sectors on the Island.
There are also some big name engineering and aerospace employers including BAE systems (radar), GKN Aerospace (engineering), Britten Norman (aircraft) and IFPL (in flight entertainment).
A slightly different way to look at the data is to consider how important different sectors are to the Isle of Wight's economy, rather than how many people it employs. An Oxford Economics study from 2010 concluded that the Isle of Wight's economy is reliant on retailing (12.9%), manufacturing (12.4%), health (12%), business services (11.7%) and education (7.2%).
An Oxford Economics study from 2010 found that of those in employment, approximately 16% work in health, 15% in distribution, 11% in hotels and catering, 10% in business services, 10% in education, 8% in 'other personal services' (fnarrr..) and 6% in construction (more detail).
A pretty ancient council report from 2003 reported that: "There are very few large firms on the Island and 5 of the 14 employing over 200 people are in the public sector. Tourism and retail accounts for over 30% of employment, public administration for nearly 30%, manufacturing between 17 and 24% (depending on statistics used), finance and business 8% and agriculture 3%."
Another rather outdated report from 2004 listed transport equipment, electrical and optical equipment, chemicals, machinery and metals as being amongst the biggest sectors on the Island.
There are also some big name engineering and aerospace employers including BAE systems (radar), GKN Aerospace (engineering), Britten Norman (aircraft) and IFPL (in flight entertainment).
A slightly different way to look at the data is to consider how important different sectors are to the Isle of Wight's economy, rather than how many people it employs. An Oxford Economics study from 2010 concluded that the Isle of Wight's economy is reliant on retailing (12.9%), manufacturing (12.4%), health (12%), business services (11.7%) and education (7.2%).
Q. What is the average salary on the Isle of Wight?
Most of the indicators and studies I’ve found suggest that the Isle of Wight’s average salary is below the UK average.
According to the Guardian, the Isle of Wight’s average salary was £17,700 in 2011 compared to £27,500 in London, £18,500 in Northern Ireland, £20,800 in Scotland and £19,500 in Wales. Average salaries in Hampshire ranged from about £23,000 to £32,000.
Bear in mind that the country was in recession at this point and we have had a few years growth since those figures, so compare it to what you were earning in 2011.
An ONS study said that the Isle of Wight’s annual salary in 2010 was £16,300 (men on £21,700, women on £12,100) compared to £21,300 across Great Britain and £28,600 in the South East.
According to the Guardian, the Isle of Wight’s average salary was £17,700 in 2011 compared to £27,500 in London, £18,500 in Northern Ireland, £20,800 in Scotland and £19,500 in Wales. Average salaries in Hampshire ranged from about £23,000 to £32,000.
Bear in mind that the country was in recession at this point and we have had a few years growth since those figures, so compare it to what you were earning in 2011.
An ONS study said that the Isle of Wight’s annual salary in 2010 was £16,300 (men on £21,700, women on £12,100) compared to £21,300 across Great Britain and £28,600 in the South East.
Q. Where can I find jobs on the Isle of Wight?
Some of the big national job websites don't work very well for Isle of Wight jobs, because they ask for a radius. If you search for jobs within 10 miles of an Isle of Wight postcode you'll end up with loads of positions in Southampton and Portsmouth.
Job websites worth looking at include:
Job websites worth looking at include:
- Isle of Wight Jobs
- Wightbay Jobs
- Jobs On The Wight
- Indeed
- Isle of Wight Council Jobs
- Isle of Wight County Press Jobs
- NHS Jobs (Search for Isle of Wight rather than a postcode)
- Guardian Jobs
Q. So, is it practical to commute to the mainland?
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It depends where you live.
Towns like Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde are on a train line which links up with a 22 minute Wightlink passenger ferry to Portsmouth meaning that you could get from home to Portsmouth Harbour in around 40-60 minutes. The Hovercraft only takes 10 minutes, but it ends up in Southsea, rather than at Portsmouth Harbour rail station. |
The crossing takes 10 to 60 minutes
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(West) Cowes has a 25 minute Red Funnel passenger ferry to Southampton - although it's another bus ride to get to Southampton Central train station. Assuming that your office is near to the ferry port then you could potentially get from home to work in as little as 40 minutes.
Yarmouth has a 40 minute car and passenger ferry which goes to Lymington Pier. Getting to Lymington itself could be achieved in about 60 minutes potentially.
In 2018 you would have paid about £2700 a year for a Red Funnel foot passenger season ticket (about £11 a day, based on 5 day week with holidays) or £1725 for a Wightlink one (about £7 a day).
Commuting from other towns and villages in the south Wight, such as Ventnor will take much longer (at least 90 minutes).
Getting to London each day from anywhere on the Isle of Wight is probably a bit ambitious - the best you are likely to manage is about 2 1/2 hours door to door.
Yarmouth has a 40 minute car and passenger ferry which goes to Lymington Pier. Getting to Lymington itself could be achieved in about 60 minutes potentially.
In 2018 you would have paid about £2700 a year for a Red Funnel foot passenger season ticket (about £11 a day, based on 5 day week with holidays) or £1725 for a Wightlink one (about £7 a day).
Commuting from other towns and villages in the south Wight, such as Ventnor will take much longer (at least 90 minutes).
Getting to London each day from anywhere on the Isle of Wight is probably a bit ambitious - the best you are likely to manage is about 2 1/2 hours door to door.
Q. How expensive is it to get to the mainland?
There's no getting away from the fact that the Isle of Wight ferry can be very expensive, particularly if you travel at peak times with a car. However, there are deals to be had and the obstacle of the ferry does help to keep the Isle of Wight's slower pace of life. As a very broad guide, you can expect to pay about £50 to £150 for a car with passengers or about £15 for a day return as a passenger.
Wightlink run a 'Multilink' discount scheme for those with an Isle of Wight residence which works out at about £40 - £50 for a car return journey. Red Funnel run a discount scheme for regular travellers wherever they live, with a reduction of up to 20%. If you combine it with their loyalty card, you are effectively getting 24% off.
See our blog called 'How Isle of Wight residents can get the car ferry for £53'
Wightlink run a 'Multilink' discount scheme for those with an Isle of Wight residence which works out at about £40 - £50 for a car return journey. Red Funnel run a discount scheme for regular travellers wherever they live, with a reduction of up to 20%. If you combine it with their loyalty card, you are effectively getting 24% off.
See our blog called 'How Isle of Wight residents can get the car ferry for £53'
Q. Are the schools any good on the Isle of Wight?
The Isle of Wight's school have been going through a major restructuring over the last few years as it has moved from a three tier system (Primary, Middle, High) to a two-tier system (Junior, Secondary). Some schools have closed or merged because the number of buildings didn't suit the number of pupils. Once you combine that with changes to schools at a national level you end up with a schools system that has seen a huge amount of change.
It's an emotive topic so I will avoid giving any personal opinions, apart from pointing out the obvious.
Regarding secondary schools, according to a 2018 article from On The Wight, "Only one Isle of Wight School hit the national average with its GCSE results this year — the rest were below, or well below, average"
It continues to say "Cowes Enterprise College was ranked the best school on the Island, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.6. The Attainment 8 score is based on students’ overall results in up to eight exams, includng English and maths...The national average for state funded schools in England was 46.4."
For those who prefer to trawl through numbers, there is a lot of useful data on the government's school performance website or we've stuck in a screenshot of the summary for the whole Isle of Wight, as of November 2018.
It's an emotive topic so I will avoid giving any personal opinions, apart from pointing out the obvious.
Regarding secondary schools, according to a 2018 article from On The Wight, "Only one Isle of Wight School hit the national average with its GCSE results this year — the rest were below, or well below, average"
It continues to say "Cowes Enterprise College was ranked the best school on the Island, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.6. The Attainment 8 score is based on students’ overall results in up to eight exams, includng English and maths...The national average for state funded schools in England was 46.4."
For those who prefer to trawl through numbers, there is a lot of useful data on the government's school performance website or we've stuck in a screenshot of the summary for the whole Isle of Wight, as of November 2018.
Secondary schools data
For Primary Schools, I would suggest starting with a league table and Ofsted once you have decided which part of the Island you want to live in.
Overall at primary level, the '% of pupils meeting the expected standard' was 55% compared to a national average of 61%. Reading, writing and maths progress was average or below average compared to the national figure, though not by much.
Of course, bear in mind that there are schools performing above the national average. This is just the picture for the whole Island.
Overall at primary level, the '% of pupils meeting the expected standard' was 55% compared to a national average of 61%. Reading, writing and maths progress was average or below average compared to the national figure, though not by much.
Of course, bear in mind that there are schools performing above the national average. This is just the picture for the whole Island.
Primary schools data
Regarding Ofsted inspections, at the time of writing, 38 out of 45 eligible primary schools were rated at Good or Outstanding (most were 'good'). The remaining seven 'require improvement' (not my words, just quoting Ofsted...).
The primary school admissions policy on the Isle of Wight is currently that you get priority based on which is your nearest school. You can search for the nearest school to a particular address here.
The main private school is in Ryde.
You may remember the comments about Isle of Wight schools by David Hoare from Ofsted which caused a fuss in August 2016. Amongst other things, he said that the Isle of Wight is 'the second worst local authority when it comes to secondary education and the third worst when it comes to primary education’.
I find that a little confusing, considering the primary school results mentioned above appear to be close to achieving an 'average' performance compared with mainland schools.
The primary school admissions policy on the Isle of Wight is currently that you get priority based on which is your nearest school. You can search for the nearest school to a particular address here.
The main private school is in Ryde.
You may remember the comments about Isle of Wight schools by David Hoare from Ofsted which caused a fuss in August 2016. Amongst other things, he said that the Isle of Wight is 'the second worst local authority when it comes to secondary education and the third worst when it comes to primary education’.
I find that a little confusing, considering the primary school results mentioned above appear to be close to achieving an 'average' performance compared with mainland schools.
Q. Is the Isle of Wight a safe place to live?
The Isle of Wight certainly feels safe and news reports of serious violent crimes seem to (thankfully) be few and far between...but does it also have low crime levels as many people say (usually without any evidence to back it up)?
As you might expect, the statistics are confusing.
On page 20 of the Hampshire Constabulary Performance report from 2010 (link removed as it's no longer available) we see that the Isle of Wight has far fewer crimes than Southampton and Portsmouth - but it is has a smaller population so is it a fair comparison?
A more significant figure in the report is the 'MSG Average' which appears to be the crimes per 1000 people (nothing to do with that additive they put in Chinese takeaways apparently).
Those figures put the Isle of Wight at 16 crimes per 1000 people, which is similar to three of the other Hampshire mainland divisions but far lower than the urban areas of Portsmouth (23 per 1000) and Southampton (24 per 1000). That would suggest that crime on the Isle of Wight is low but not unusually low for a rural part of southern England.
Let's look at another study.
The UK parliament's website published a report using data from police.uk (page 5 - click on the link to download) which ranked each constituency from 1 to 5 based on crimes per 1000 people (1 = high crime, 5 = low crime). The Isle of Wight is placed in the middle quintile - suggesting it has 'average' crimes levels for England and Wales.
It's worth noting though that data on crimes per 1000 people seems to be calculated by dividing the population by the number of crimes. The Isle of Wight's official 'population' is around 140,000 but it has around 2.5 million visitors each year, who presumably are not included in the population figure but would be included in the crime statistics if they had their handbag stolen whilst on holiday.
Perhaps your brain is hurting - the point is that the statistics may well imply that the Isle of Wight has a bigger crime problem than it actually does.
My conclusion? Yes, the Isle of Wight is a safe place to live. I'm yet to find a study which I trust 100% but it's always felt safe to me.
As you might expect, the statistics are confusing.
On page 20 of the Hampshire Constabulary Performance report from 2010 (link removed as it's no longer available) we see that the Isle of Wight has far fewer crimes than Southampton and Portsmouth - but it is has a smaller population so is it a fair comparison?
A more significant figure in the report is the 'MSG Average' which appears to be the crimes per 1000 people (nothing to do with that additive they put in Chinese takeaways apparently).
Those figures put the Isle of Wight at 16 crimes per 1000 people, which is similar to three of the other Hampshire mainland divisions but far lower than the urban areas of Portsmouth (23 per 1000) and Southampton (24 per 1000). That would suggest that crime on the Isle of Wight is low but not unusually low for a rural part of southern England.
Let's look at another study.
The UK parliament's website published a report using data from police.uk (page 5 - click on the link to download) which ranked each constituency from 1 to 5 based on crimes per 1000 people (1 = high crime, 5 = low crime). The Isle of Wight is placed in the middle quintile - suggesting it has 'average' crimes levels for England and Wales.
It's worth noting though that data on crimes per 1000 people seems to be calculated by dividing the population by the number of crimes. The Isle of Wight's official 'population' is around 140,000 but it has around 2.5 million visitors each year, who presumably are not included in the population figure but would be included in the crime statistics if they had their handbag stolen whilst on holiday.
Perhaps your brain is hurting - the point is that the statistics may well imply that the Isle of Wight has a bigger crime problem than it actually does.
My conclusion? Yes, the Isle of Wight is a safe place to live. I'm yet to find a study which I trust 100% but it's always felt safe to me.
Q. Is the Isle of Wight's hospital any good?
Equally, people want to have an idea of what the local hospital is like, beyond the odd anecdote. There’s also no point in spending taxpayers’ money on organisations like the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if we don’t pay attention to their findings.
Where relevant, I compared St Mary’s Hospital (the Isle of Wight’s hospital) with the main hospitals in Southampton (Southampton General) and Portsmouth (Queen Alexandra) to give the numbers more context. They are very different in terms of size but they are the next nearest option for Islanders and will also be hospitals a lot of people are familiar with.
I searched in August 2015. Prepare yourself for a stream of statistics:
My conclusions? Well, St Mary’s Hospitals is clearly a lot smaller than Southampton General and Queen Alexandra in terms of beds but does that affect quality of care and treatment?
According to the CQC, all three hospitals are good at some things and less good at others but none of them are ‘inadequate’ in any area, which is reassuring. In terms of league tables, they all seem to be somewhere in the middle in most categories.
Southampton General and Queen Alexandra had a few more ‘goods’ than St Mary’s in the overall categories, but St Mary’s did slightly better in the ratings of specific services.
St Mary’s Hospital scored pretty well on some key targets around A&E waiting times and it was somewhere in the middle for ‘mortality’. Patient satisfaction looks to be strong overall as well.
The areas where it currently scores less well in the indicators I can find are the quality of the food (although breakfast is fine apparently…) and the fact that only half of staff recommend it as an employer. The length of stay was also a bit longer than the other two.
I’m undecided who to believe about ‘care’. The CQC gave it a ‘good’ rating for ‘caring’ whilst patients scored it well below the other two hospitals for ‘care’.
People considering moving to the Isle of Wight are also keen to understand if they would often need to travel to the mainland for medical appointments. I’m yet to find a list of services which aren’t available at St Mary’s (please contact me if you find one), but there is a list of available planned care services and acute care services.
Red Funnel, Wightlink and Hovertravel also do special deals for hospital visits (see our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel for more on those).
Stats were from NHS and CQC websites.
Update 2017: So, since I did all that digging, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust was put into special measures. I plan to do a more thorough update at some point, just let me put the kids to bed first and I'll get straight onto it...
Where relevant, I compared St Mary’s Hospital (the Isle of Wight’s hospital) with the main hospitals in Southampton (Southampton General) and Portsmouth (Queen Alexandra) to give the numbers more context. They are very different in terms of size but they are the next nearest option for Islanders and will also be hospitals a lot of people are familiar with.
I searched in August 2015. Prepare yourself for a stream of statistics:
- St Mary’s hospital has 246 beds compared to 1300 beds at Southampton General and 1255 beds at Queen Alexandra (numbers vary a bit depending on what you include).
- The CQC say that St Mary’s Hospital ‘Requires improvement’ in four of five areas (safe, effective, responsive, well led) but was good in ‘caring’. The scale goes: inadequate, requires improvement, good, outstanding.
- More specifically St Mary’s was good for urgent care, surgery, intensive/critical care, maternity and gynaecology, services for children and young people, outpatients and ambulance services. The CQC said St Mary’s Hospital requires improvements in ‘medical care’ (including older people’s care) and end of life care.
- The CQC said that Queen Alexandra requires improvement in 3 of 5 areas, was good in 1 area and outstanding in 1 area. Southampton General was good in two areas, but required improvement in three areas. Both had a similar mix of 'good' and 'requires improvement' when you look at specific sections.
- St Mary’s A&E performance (i.e. how many people are seen within 4 hours) is at 92.8% which is better than Queen Alexandra and Southampton General (both in the low 80s).
- St Mary’s mortality rating is ‘OK’ and is given a score of 1.0557. Presumably 1 is the target. Southampton General is slightly better (1.0261). Queen Alexandra is slightly worse (1.0752).
- All three got an ‘OK’ for ‘number of patients waiting more than a year'. I’m not exactly sure what people were waiting for – a cup of tea? Anyway, the stats ranked them all the same in that category.
- Based on general public reviews on the NHS website, all three hospitals scored 4 stars out of 5 (which makes it sound like a movie review – “I got my cataracts done! Four stars! Empire Magazine”).
- Average length of stay at St Mary’s Hospital was higher (5.3 days) than Queen Alexandra (3.9 days) or Southampton General 4.6 days).
- St Mary’s Hospital was somewhere in the middle for ‘safe staffing’ (whether they have enough people on the wards etc). St Mary’s scored 96%, compared to 93% at Southampton General and 102% at Queen Alexandra. I assume 100% is the aim, as it would suggest an efficient hospital.
- According to the NHS website stats (don’t shoot the messenger), food at St Mary’s is ‘amongst the worst’ although the choice of breakfast is ‘in the middle range’. My advice - fill up on cornflakes.
- The stats suggest staff morale is below average. Only 49% said they would recommend St Mary’s Hospital as a place to work, compared to 72% and 74% for Southampton General and Queen Alexandra.
- There are a whole load of stats around whether patients would recommend St Mary’s Hospital to friends and family. Inpatient, A&E, Labour and Postnatal all came up well (within a few points or ahead of Southampton General and Queen Alexandra). However, ‘care’ came in at 64% compared to 86% and 90% at Southampton General and Queen Alexandra.
My conclusions? Well, St Mary’s Hospitals is clearly a lot smaller than Southampton General and Queen Alexandra in terms of beds but does that affect quality of care and treatment?
According to the CQC, all three hospitals are good at some things and less good at others but none of them are ‘inadequate’ in any area, which is reassuring. In terms of league tables, they all seem to be somewhere in the middle in most categories.
Southampton General and Queen Alexandra had a few more ‘goods’ than St Mary’s in the overall categories, but St Mary’s did slightly better in the ratings of specific services.
St Mary’s Hospital scored pretty well on some key targets around A&E waiting times and it was somewhere in the middle for ‘mortality’. Patient satisfaction looks to be strong overall as well.
The areas where it currently scores less well in the indicators I can find are the quality of the food (although breakfast is fine apparently…) and the fact that only half of staff recommend it as an employer. The length of stay was also a bit longer than the other two.
I’m undecided who to believe about ‘care’. The CQC gave it a ‘good’ rating for ‘caring’ whilst patients scored it well below the other two hospitals for ‘care’.
People considering moving to the Isle of Wight are also keen to understand if they would often need to travel to the mainland for medical appointments. I’m yet to find a list of services which aren’t available at St Mary’s (please contact me if you find one), but there is a list of available planned care services and acute care services.
Red Funnel, Wightlink and Hovertravel also do special deals for hospital visits (see our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel for more on those).
Stats were from NHS and CQC websites.
Update 2017: So, since I did all that digging, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust was put into special measures. I plan to do a more thorough update at some point, just let me put the kids to bed first and I'll get straight onto it...
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Reviewing a hospital isn’t easy. Inevitably a large organisation will have good bits and bad bits, and things change all the time. Statistics are often misleading and inspections only give a snapshot.
Like everyone else, I know many people who work in healthcare and it is easy to see any comparison as criticism of talented and dedicated professionals. |
The 'koan' outside St. Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight
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Q. Which Isle of Wight town should I live in?
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Choosing which town to live in on the Isle of Wight really depends on what you are after, and inevitably what budget you are working to.
When house buying you may also be considering school catchment areas, which adds another complication, but here’s a rough guide without taking schools into account. |
Cowes is yacht-tastic
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Newport and Ryde are the most populated towns. Newport is well connected with buses and is central so nearish to everywhere, whereas Ryde is convenient for getting to the mainland quickly or there is a railway line which runs towards Sandown and Shanklin. Both offer the convenience of big supermarkets, schools, jobs, cinemas, places to eat and so on, but I would say both are fairly standard medium sized towns – so if you are moving to Isle of Wight to get away from it all then I would look elsewhere. Houses are generally towards the cheaper end of the market in Newport and Ryde.
If you plan to go to the mainland regularly then you will want to be near to a ferry port (see our ferries guide). For those on a higher budget take a look at Cowes and Gurnard (yachty), Yarmouth (pretty and posh), Seaview (sleepy), Bembridge (posh) or Fishbourne (big houses). Cowes has a bit of nightlife, Bembridge is home to tweed-wearers and an old phonebox whilst Yarmouth, Fishbourne, Gurnard and Seaview are pretty but most residents go to bed at 8pm.
If you plan to go to the mainland regularly then you will want to be near to a ferry port (see our ferries guide). For those on a higher budget take a look at Cowes and Gurnard (yachty), Yarmouth (pretty and posh), Seaview (sleepy), Bembridge (posh) or Fishbourne (big houses). Cowes has a bit of nightlife, Bembridge is home to tweed-wearers and an old phonebox whilst Yarmouth, Fishbourne, Gurnard and Seaview are pretty but most residents go to bed at 8pm.
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If you are looking at the cheaper end of the market but still want to be near a ferry, consider Wootton, Binstead or East Cowes.
They are still nice enough places, but I get the feeling that it is locals living here rather than second home owners which are in the posher towns (sometimes called DFLs – Down From Londons). |
Sandown is one of the cheaper towns for property
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If you want to feel like you are on a never-ending holiday then I would look at Shanklin, Sandown, Lake or Ventnor. Personally, I like Ventnor and Shanklin but there are some very cheap and nice properties elsewhere. Ventnor is rather cut off and takes an eternity to get to things like cinemas, supermarkets or even petrol stations, but it is a lovely town with a strong community. It is also on a big hill so you can get a terrific sea view in a fairly cheap property. Some parts of Ventnor and the surrounding coastline are prone to landslides and subsidence, so you might find your back garden getting smaller and your seaside view getting closer than you might want.
Shanklin is a bit less remote as it is on a trainline but is jam packed with guest houses.
Shanklin is a bit less remote as it is on a trainline but is jam packed with guest houses.
The West Wight has a fabulous coastline
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The West Wight is full of pretty villages and towns (Freshwater Bay, Yarmouth, Brighstone, Brook, Shorwell, Shalfleet) but facilities are very limited, so you’ll be relying on a car a lot. If your objective is to keep chickens in your back garden and then walk the dog on a beautiful but deserted beach before sitting in your conservatory and reading the paper whilst listening to the Archers, then the West Wight is a good choice.
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There are also loads of inland villages which are very pleasant and worth considering if you aren’t that bothered about living within walking distance of a beach.
You can also get some idea of what each part of the Island is like with our guide for holidaymakers to Which Isle of Wight Town Should I Stay In?
You can also get some idea of what each part of the Island is like with our guide for holidaymakers to Which Isle of Wight Town Should I Stay In?
Q. How ethnically diverse is the Isle of Wight?
I’ve heard a comedian remark that the Isle of Wight should be called the Isle of White because of its demography. Is that accurate?
Well, broadly yes.
The 2011 census found that just under 95% of residents are ‘white British’ with 92% of all residents having been born in England or Wales. Around 2% was ‘white other white’ and around 3% was ‘a wide range of ethnic origins’.
Back in 2001, the percentage of white British was about 97% so it has become slightly more diverse in recent years.
In the EU referendum in 2016, 61.9% of Isle of Wight voters said they wanted to leave the EU, compared to a UK leave vote of 51.9%. I'm not passing judgement or drawing conclusions from that, just stating the facts!
Well, broadly yes.
The 2011 census found that just under 95% of residents are ‘white British’ with 92% of all residents having been born in England or Wales. Around 2% was ‘white other white’ and around 3% was ‘a wide range of ethnic origins’.
Back in 2001, the percentage of white British was about 97% so it has become slightly more diverse in recent years.
In the EU referendum in 2016, 61.9% of Isle of Wight voters said they wanted to leave the EU, compared to a UK leave vote of 51.9%. I'm not passing judgement or drawing conclusions from that, just stating the facts!
Q. Is the Isle of Wight full of old people?
I suspect some people believe the Isle of Wight is a great big diamond shaped retirement home. Is that true?
Well, not exactly, but there is certainly an above average number of older people living on the Isle of Wight compared to the England average.
As of 2011 (census data), people aged 65+ made up about 1 in 4 Isle of Wight residents. For England as a whole it was about 1 in 6.
Looking at it another way - page 5 of this Isle of Wight council census document from 2011 has one of those graphs you studied in geography lessons. You can see above average proportions of people in every age group from 50 to 90 and below average proportions of people in pretty much every age group under 50. The number of teenagers is around the average, whilst the numbers of people aged 20 - 40 on the Isle of Wight is well below the England average.
Well, not exactly, but there is certainly an above average number of older people living on the Isle of Wight compared to the England average.
As of 2011 (census data), people aged 65+ made up about 1 in 4 Isle of Wight residents. For England as a whole it was about 1 in 6.
Looking at it another way - page 5 of this Isle of Wight council census document from 2011 has one of those graphs you studied in geography lessons. You can see above average proportions of people in every age group from 50 to 90 and below average proportions of people in pretty much every age group under 50. The number of teenagers is around the average, whilst the numbers of people aged 20 - 40 on the Isle of Wight is well below the England average.
Q. What's the Isle of Wight's weather and climate like? Is it always sunny?
If you are moving to the Isle of Wight expecting year round sunshine...you will be disappointed. However, the Isle of Wight does get better weather than most of England and snow is rare (which was always disappointing as a schoolboy).
There are claims that the Isle of Wight gets the most sunshine in England but the reality is that it depends how you measure climate. You can look at highest temperature, hours of sunshine, average temperature and so on. Bognor Regis and Eastbourne also claim the title.
One study I looked at showed that the Isle of Wight has 500 hours a year of sunshine more than London. Other stats show that the Isle of Wight's average high for August (if that's not a contradiction) is 22 degrees celsius, compared to 18 in the Lake District and 19 in Cornwall. In terms of rainfall, The Isle of Wight has 49mm of rain in August, compared to 99mm in the Lake District and 85mm in Newquay (Cornwall).
So, the weather is a pleasant couple of degrees warmer and the rainfall is a bit less, but don't expect a sub-Saharan climate.
There are claims that the Isle of Wight gets the most sunshine in England but the reality is that it depends how you measure climate. You can look at highest temperature, hours of sunshine, average temperature and so on. Bognor Regis and Eastbourne also claim the title.
One study I looked at showed that the Isle of Wight has 500 hours a year of sunshine more than London. Other stats show that the Isle of Wight's average high for August (if that's not a contradiction) is 22 degrees celsius, compared to 18 in the Lake District and 19 in Cornwall. In terms of rainfall, The Isle of Wight has 49mm of rain in August, compared to 99mm in the Lake District and 85mm in Newquay (Cornwall).
So, the weather is a pleasant couple of degrees warmer and the rainfall is a bit less, but don't expect a sub-Saharan climate.
