Dementia Support team

Our Dementia Support team provides personalised care and support to patients living with dementia and their carers.

The team includes Clinical Nurse Specialists and Dementia Support Workers as well as a Dementia Palliative Care Nurse and a Macmillan Dementia Support Worker whose role is to ensure that out-patients with dementia receive enhanced access to cancer treatment and support.

Our vision is to provide dignified, compassionate, clinically-effective and safe person-centred care for our patients living with dementia, delivered by staff who are appropriately trained and who work in partnership with families and carers, and provided in environments which promote safety, wellbeing and independence.

We get to know each patient individually to understand their needs, likes and dislikes and to tailor activities and provide cognitive stimulation. Our Older People’s Emergency Department also provides specialist care in surroundings that are as sympathetic as possible for older people living with dementia, and we can also provide additional support to out-patients with the condition.

We’ve introduced a range of initiatives to improve hospital experience for these vulnerable people including:

“This is me”: A booklet completed by patients and carers to give us a clearer picture about their background, current and past interest, and routines that are important to them. We use this information to carry out meaningful activities that are specific to their interests

Activities: From playing a patient’s favourite music, taking part in arts and crafts, or watching a television programme about a subject that really interests them, we have a range of activities to help enhance their wellbeing. These activities could also be used to support patients through a medical procedure and ease stress.

Dementia Friends: We deliver Dementia Friends sessions to all new nursing assistants as well as sessions for other staff to increase understanding about dementia to help improve the care they deliver.

Dementia Links: More than 140 staff from all parts of the Trust act as Dementia Links and have a special interest in caring for patients who are living with dementia. They meet the Dementia Support team on a quarterly basis to keep up to date with a wide variety of subjects related to dementia care and share best practice.

We have also launched our new Dementia Strategy, which contains  eight goals created in partnership with our Dementia Champions, Dementia Specialist Practitioners and our Dementia Support team, as well as people living with dementia  locally and nationally and their families. These goals aim to ensure that we deliver an enhanced personalised experience to both in-patients and out-patients and that we continue to invest in research, using our results to influence the improvement of dementia care in our county.

Our eight goals for delivering car for people with dementia

Skilled staff

• We will ensure that staff are trained and skilled in dementia care
• We will provide specialist services which support you and your carers.

Working together

• We will treat you and your carers as partners in care
• We will work alongside your GP and community services
• We will promote dementia awareness and develop our services with our local community.

Assessments

• We will ensure that you and your carers have a comprehensive assessment of your needs
• We will refer you for an assessment if we think you may have dementia
• We will support your decisions through use of the Mental Capacity Act.

Person-centred care

• We will ensure our staff are aware that you are living with dementia
• We will ensure your care is person-centred and meets your individual needs
• We will enable smooth transition between our services and as you are discharged home.

Volunteer support

• We will ensure trained volunteers are available who can offer additional support for activities and pastoral care.

Your surroundings

• We will provide your care in environments which are comfortable and supportive and promote your safety, well-being and independence
• We will enable you to find your way around the hospital sites.

Research

• We will build on existing and develop new regional, national and international research collaborations so that you have the opportunity to participate in world-class research.

Governance

• We will strive for continuous improvement in the quality of our care
• We will ensure that our governance structures and resources support staff to deliver care which is dementia–friendly.