MPs visited the Isle of Wight to investigate health and social care services.
Parliament's health and social care select committee made the trip as part of its inquiry into adult social care reform.
The Island was chosen because it has a higher proportion of residents aged 65 and over compared to the national average.
Committee members visited St Mary's Hospital, which is part of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust. This trust is the only one in the country that provides both hospital-based services and ambulance services.
The MPs toured the hospital's urgent and emergency care floor, unplanned care ward, and frailty provision, to see first-hand how services are delivered.
They met with the trust's CEO, Penny Emerit, and chief officer, Joe Smyth, along with other medical professionals, to understand the local context better.
Mr Smyth said: "The Island is a great place to test innovative work, due to our unique position of having integrated acute and ambulance services.
"It was a real opportunity for our staff to share how we are already transforming our services.
"We are also keen to do more to support the development of new models of care and welcome the opportunity to work together on trialling and implementing the needs of an increasingly frail community."
The committee also met with directors from the Isle of Wight Council, including the strategic director for adult social care and housing.
They discussed the challenges in meeting the needs of the Island's population, including working-age adults.
The committee explored how local social care provision challenges impact the hospital's ability to move more care into the community and focus on prevention.
At the hospital, the committee met representatives from community groups including Healthwatch, Age UK, and Carers Isle of Wight.
They heard about the changing nature of their work and the challenges they face around funding and providing services.
The MPs also visited Care in the Garden, a not-for-profit organisation creating work opportunities for adults with additional needs, and Hazel Lodge care home, where they met with both employees and residents.
Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East and a member of the Health and Social Care Committee, said “I am pleased to have been able to secure a visit from the Committee on which I serve, as part of our report into the state of social care nationally.
“The Island's older population is 20 years ahead of where the rest of the UK’s population will be, so it is an ideal place to better understand the challenges the whole country will face in the future.
“I want to ensure that the Island is at the forefront of the national conservation about how we improve social care and support people in their own homes. The visit by the House of Commons Select Committee is an important part of ensuring that.”
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