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Dementia care

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust believes that dementia is everyone’s business. We are signed up with the Dementia Action Alliance to work towards becoming a dementia-friendly hospital.

Our aim is to provide skilled and experienced staff to ensure person-centred care is offered to all patients with dementia and their carers who visit or are admitted to our hospitals. As well as ensuring our environments are assessed to ensure they are dementia friendly and create dementia friendly areas.

We have a Lead Practitioner for Dementia and Dementia Nurse Facilitator who can be contacted on 01892 633738 or 01622 228251.

We are signed up to the Dementia Action Alliance Dementia Friendly Hospital Charter and John’s Campaign, which supports carer’s rights to stay with people with dementia in hospital.

Carers welcome

There is a culture of supporting open visiting on all wards within the Trust, which includes consideration of overnight stays at the ward manager’s discretion. As part of the Trust’s Best Care Programme we are committed to supporting people with dementia and their carers. We work collaboratively with Involve Kent and Carers First.

Our promise to patients with dementia:

  • Person-centred care is offered to all patients with dementia and their carer’s who visit or are admitted to the Trust.
  • Person-centred care – means looking at the person and not the condition – dementia is unique to each person who has it and has a uniquely powerful effect on the person and the family.
  • We will recognise the individuality of people with dementia, and that their unique personality and life experience will influence their response to dementia. Recognise the importance of seeking the perspective of the person with dementia and promote the relationships and interactions with others to the person with dementia and their potential for promoting wellbeing.
  • We will screen all patients aged 65 and over admitted as an emergency for dementia or possible dementia and refer appropriately.
  • Encourage all patients with dementia to have a ‘This Is Me’ booklet. This can be downloaded, completed by a patient’s family member or carer, and returned to the ward. Alternatively copies are available on the ward.
  • Ensure all patients with cognitive impairment have a core care plan completed and referred to by all those providing care.
  • Provide training for staff (clinical and non-clinical) to ensure appropriate training from basic awareness to advanced training in a variety of formats.
  • Ensure all patients and carers are signposted to appropriate services and carers are referred for a carer’s assessment with our partner organisations.
  • Provide dementia champions on all wards.
  • Provide activities such as books and puzzles for our dementia patients on our wards to assist with cognitive stimulation. New for 2022 – creative therapies.
  • Survey all carers of people with dementia to gain feedback on their experience whilst in hospital and ensure they felt adequately supported.
  • We will analyse this information to assist in ensuring the service we provide is regularly reviewed. We will also liaise and work collaboratively with a number of voluntary organisations and Kent and Medway CCG to ensure that new initiatives can be piloted and we can offer the best care to our patients and their carers.

Patient support volunteers

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is looking for people interested in volunteering to support those with dementia in the ward environment as a Patient Support volunteer.

This role is varied and can include reading, playing games, doing puzzles, listening to music, help with feeding, going for walks, right through to a good old chat and a cup of tea together. This time with patients helps to increase and maintain social interaction, and assists in maintaining cognitive ability during their hospital stay.

Patient Support volunteers work along side the ward staff to help patients and their families.

You do not need to have any experience with dementia as we provide training to a basic level to all our staff and volunteers. Volunteers are also given the opportunity to complete Intermediate Dementia Awareness Training and you will be fully supported by the volunteer coordinator.

If you are interested in dementia care and support, contact Anne-Marie Stevens-Swain on 01622 224719 or email annemarie.stevens-swain@nhs.net

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