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The author of an independent review into the deaths of two severely disabled men who were killed by their mother, has concluded the tragedy could have happened anywhere in the country.

Report co-author Barbara McIntosh said only recently have social services departments taken on responsibility for adults with severe conditions such as cerebral palsy because in the past they would not have lived so long.

McIntosh, of King's College, London, said: "This is a new group of young people we are dealing with. In the past they would not have survived."

She said ways of providing care for young people with profound problems, and support for their parents are still being formulated.

The review was carried out into the deaths of Robert and Richard Turnbull, who were in the early twenties and wheelchair-bound with severe care needs. Their mother Janquil killed the men when she was not able to cope with their round-the-clock care demands any longer.

She admitted manslaughter with diminished responsibility, and was placed on three years' probation by Winchester crown court last year.

Turnbull and her husband Ron complained that Isle of Wight social services department had not provided them with the support they needed.

The report, jointly commissioned by the council, health authority and the Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust, found shortfalls in the social services provided to the family.

The report stated that although Robert and Richard’s priority needs were identified early on, services were slow to arrive to meet those needs.

Community care assessments took eight months to complete, as a result of information not being requested from previous authorities.

The parents should have been involved more in the planning for their sons, and care plans were insufficiently clear and not given to the parents.

The co-ordination between agencies was criticised, and the report highlighted that staff may not have received appropriate training and may not have fully acknowledged the level of stress on the Turnbulls.

It concluded, however, that authorities did not fail in their statutory duty to provide protection.

Urgent action has been promised by Isle of Wight social services.

Charles Waddicor, director of social services and housing at the council, said he welcomed the report: "We must now take some time to consider the recommendations, and ensure that we improve services by learning from this tragedy."

He said the three agencies would be using the recommendations to develop a joint plan for service improvement.

This would include: developing a joint social services and health team; reviewing the training of care management and health staff; requesting transfer information from previous authorities and ensuring primary care staff are aware of the pressures on people caring for someone with a profound disability.

Mr Turnbull said he was bitterly disappointed the report laid no individual blame. He described it as "a sanitised version of events, short on specifics, liberally embellished with untruths, selective omissions and subjective speculation".