Living Well With Dementia Across The South West

Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia, will be joined by one of the nation’s favourite poets as well as doctors, nurses, voluntary group members and people living with dementia at the second annual conference highlighting latest progress in dementia care across the South West.

The conference, being held inTauntonon Tuesday 5 July, will open with poetry by Matt Harvey, well known humorist and poet who has a special interest in mental health. Matt has published a number of books and makes regular contributions to radio – last year he was the Official Wimbledon Championship Poet, entertaining spectators with a different poem each day.

NHS organisations throughout the South West are supporting Dementia Awareness Week (3 to 9 July 2011) as part of an ongoing drive to improve diagnosis and care for the growing numbers of people living with dementia.

The South West is taking the lead in driving forward improvements in dementia diagnosis and care, as the region works towards early implementation of the National Dementia Strategy.

Progress to date includes:

* Every general hospital in the South West has implemented South West Standards for Dementia Care, and has an action plan in place. Dementia care in the 15 general hospitals in the South West is being reviewed in September to November 2011 to ensure that quality, care and people’s experience are improving.

* Every general hospital in the South West has a clinical lead for dementia, and the clinical leads work together to drive up quality and improve hospital care for people with dementia.

* Diagnosis rates are improving, and all Primary Care Trusts have action plans in place to continue to improve diagnosis and early intervention for people with dementia.

* Memory assessment services are in place across the South West, and access to assessments is growing

* Action is being taken by prescribers across the South West to reduce unnecessary prescribing of antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia.

* A South West ‘Dementia Quality Mark’ for care homes has been developed, and six local authorities are piloting the Quality Mark in care homes n the South West.

*Commissioners are requiring service providers to ensure that staff are trained in dementia awareness; with resources for training and education and new ways of working in dementia.

Work is being co-ordinated through the South West Dementia Partnership, www.southwestdementiapartnership.org.uk which brings together organisations from health and social care, the voluntary sector and people using dementia services to drive forward improvements.

This year’s conference focuses on dementia care in hospitals; on average one in three of all inpatients are affected by dementia. 

The conference will showcase areas of excellence including:

• A Dementia Charter at Royal United Hospitals,Bath
• Partnership working between care homes and hospitals inCornwallto ensure better end of life care
• Dementia education for staff inTorbayHospital
• Personalised information for dementia patients at University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,Bristol, and a specialist ward for patients with dementia atSouthmeadHospital,Bristol;
• Working with compassion and care, drawing on the experiences of people living with dementia

Alison Moon, Chief Nurse at University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is NHS South West Champion for Dementia Care and leads a regional Expert Reference Group which brings together clinical leads in dementia from hospitals across the South West.

Alison said:  “In the South West we are working hard in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society to improve hospital care for patients with dementia. A national audit of dementia care in hospitals has been conducted and the full report will be published later this year.

“Here in the South West we are listening to the experiences and concerns of people with dementia, their families, carers and staff and developed eight common standards for hospital care. This means that patients should expect the same standard of care in any general hospital across the South West. Over the next two years we will systematically implement these standards, alongside the findings of the national audit to transform hospital care for people with a dementia.

“Hospital staff, patients, volunteers, relatives, carers and commissioners all have roles to play in achieving these standards and we are working closely with them to ensure that people with dementia receive consistently high quality care and support.”

Professor Alistair Burns is National Clinical Director For Dementia at the Department of Health. (See http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/Nationalclinicaldirectors/Nationaldirectorsbiography/DH_116342

He will address the conference on “What Does Excellence Look Like?”

Professor Burns said:”Dementia Awareness Week is a great opportunity to focus on what matters most for people living with dementia, not just patients and carers but the wider health and social care community.

“I know there has been significant progress in the South West and I am very much looking forward to sharing the latest ideas at this regional conference, which I know will celebrate success but also calls everyone to rise to the challenge of improving dementia care.”

Professor Burns is a Past President of the International Psychogeriatric Association, is on the board of the European Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, chair of the UK Alzheimer’s Society Medical and Scientific Panel, an Associate Director of the UK Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases Network (DeNDRoN) and a member of the Medical Research Council College of Experts. 

Other expert speakers include Chloe Hood, Programme Manager at the National Audit of Dementia, Royal College of Psychiatrists; Dr Chris Dyer, consultant geriatrician and clinical lead in the older people’s unit at Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust; Jill Hoyle, Matron in Elderly Care at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Jane Buswell, Nurse Consultant for Older People and Clinical Lead for Dementia Care at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.

The South West already has the largest proportion of older people in the country, and the longest life expectancy. Latest figures show that 76,000 people in the region are living with dementia and this is likely to increase by 50 per cent over the next 15 years.

Conference speakers and guests will also be invited to raise their voices in song– this recognises the benefits of Singing For The Brain which has been widely developed by the Alzheimer’s Society as a stimulating and sociable activity for people with memory problems.

Somersetbased song maker Caroline David will offer “singing for the heart” – songs drawn from the experience of being alongside people with dementia as friend and carer. 

ends

Note to Editors:

Background

In November 2008 the South West Strategic Health Authority hosted the region’s first-ever Dementia Summit, bringing together leading national experts and local people living with dementia, including families and carers, to help shape the future of care.

This led to the formation of a unique Dementia Partnership, made up of representatives from health, social care, the Alzheimer’s Society and carer representatives, to take forward a vision for better, more integrated services tailored to individual need and delivered when and where people need them, in line with the national strategy.

A detailed review was carried out to assess the quality of dementia services across the region, highlighting areas of excellence as well as identifying where improvements are necessary.

Local councils and Primary Care Trusts throughout the South West are now working closely together and each community has a plan to develop improved services for people with dementia and their carers.

People have highlighted the importance of getting good information, support from their GP and access to an early diagnosis.

As a result of this review, the Partnership has committed to:

• Join up services across health and social care so that people receive more co-ordinated support;
• Achieve better consistency of services across the region, so that people in all areas have equal access to high quality care and support;
• Learn from areas of best practice already taking place. There are many success stories in the South West and examples of excellent care and support which can be shared and copied more widely.

Dementia Awareness Week

Dementia awareness week will take place from 3-9 July 2011 inEnglandandWales. The theme of the week is Remember The Person which encourages people to look beyond the diagnosis and see the person behind the condition.

For more information see www.alzheimers.org.uk/remembertheperson

The Top Ten Tips for helping a family living with dementia are as follows:

1. Treat the person with respect and dignity
2. Be a good listener
3. Be a good communicator
4. Remember the little things can mean a lot
5. Stay in touch
6. Offer practical help
7. Organise a treat
8. Help different family members in different ways
9. Find out more about dementia
10. Direct people to Alzheimer’s Society for more help and support

 For more information about the South West Dementia Conference, or to find your nearest NHS communications team, contact the South West Strategic Health Authority Communications Team on 01823 361365 or 361366.