THE widow of a man who battled dementia for years has vented her anger and frustration at the number of patients still being sent out of the local area for treatment.

Margaret Crompton of West Shore, Walney spoke of her disappointment at the continuing failure to support patients with complex needs requiring Elderly Mentally Infirm (EMI) care.

Her husband Sydney Lyons Crompton was first diagnosed with the degenerative condition more than ten years ago and Mrs Crompton believes had she not been so vocal in her campaign to keep him close by, he too would have been sent miles from home.

She said: "If you're not very assertive you have got no chance as I fought like mad but he was still moved across five homes.

"I had to be so aggressive to keep him here and that's wrong.

"It makes me angry because it's like talking to a brick wall, because the authorities tell you they know what the patient needs and then they go and send them out of the district."

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Mrs Crompton worked hard to look after her husband and make sure homes across the area attended to his needs.

She told the Evening Mail that she had received a letter in 2008 from then MP for Barrow John Hutton who apologised and confirmed changes would be made to how care is provided in the local community.

Now eight years on, Mrs Crompton said she could not believe the lack of progress which has been made, contacting the Evening Mail after reading how Barrow's Joan Martin must travel to Preston each time she wants to see her father.

She said: "I believe we need to have specialist homes employing specialist dementia nurses - this could start to tackle the problem.

"It's gone too far now. Homes know that staff can't cope and they know patients will gradually get worse, meaning it's always a possibility they will need EMI and one-to-one help. So why leave it until the end stages before it is addressed?"

Mrs Crompton used to visit her husband seven days a week and is neighbours with 82-year-old Madge Bazely who recently spoke of her heartbreak at the prospect of travelling 250 miles to visit her dementia-stricken husband in Yorkshire.

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