EAST Devon MP Hugo Swire said he was extremely concerned to hear about the case of an Exmouth pensioner who could have funding withdrawn from the NHS. Mr Swire has vowed to pursue the case of 88-year-old John Mejor with the Devon PCT. He said: Towards

EAST Devon MP Hugo Swire said he was 'extremely concerned' to hear about the case of an Exmouth pensioner who could have funding withdrawn from the NHS.

Mr Swire has vowed to pursue the case of 88-year-old John Mejor with the Devon PCT.

He said: "Towards the end of last year I was informed by Iain Tulley, the then Chief Executive of Devon PCT, that Devon Partnership NHS Trust were making sustained progress towards the delivery of services which are 'good enough for my family'.

"This clearly does not appear to be the case here and the potential impact on Mr Mejor's family of withdrawing his funding could be extremely serious.

"To that end I am currently pursuing the case with Devon PCT and I am anticipating a response from them shortly."

Mr Swire recognised that Mr Mejor was a man who had made a significant contribution to his community and Devon as a whole.

He added: "To make matters worse I understand that he is not alone in having his continuing care package withdrawn.

"Dementia is a distressing and serious condition that not only affects the patient but also their family and carers.

"With an ageing population both in the UK and in East Devon in particular it is now more important than ever that dementia is given the high priority it deserves.