Hospitals commit to improve dementia care

Health Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt, will announce the number of hospitals committed at the Dementia Action Alliance Annual Event today. The call to action ‘The Right Care: creating dementia friendly hospitals’, was launched last month to reduce readmission rates, prevent over 6,000 falls across the country and bring down the mortality rate of people with dementia in acute care. The aim is to have every hospital in England committed to becoming dementia friendly by March 2013.

People with dementia currently occupy a quarter of all hospital beds and are staying far longer in hospital than people without the condition who go in for the same treatment. This costs the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds. Poor hospital care can have a negative affect on people's dementia and physical health. The majority of people with the condition leave hospital worse than when they arrive and a third are unable to return home.

Bradford Teaching Hospital has signed up and has already made progress. Two wards have been transformed to create a more calming space to influence peoples behaviour. Additionally they will be educating all staff in dementia awareness by the end of 2013 and are developing a dementia lead nurse role.

Ann Reid, 66, from Eastbourne, whose mother has dementia, said:

'My mum quickly became confused and frightened in hospital. One day the staff left a sign next to her bed telling her: “you are not well, you need to stay in hospital. Just sit there, rest, relax and don’t bang the table”. My mum did not understand: she did not have her reading glasses with her and could not remember anything for more than two seconds.

'This was very upsetting for me – I nursed my husband through severe dementia until his death. He too received poor care in hospital. He went in walking, and within ten days he was unable to walk and barely able to talk.'

Jeremy Hughes, Co-Chair of the DAA and Alzheimer's Society Chief Executive, said:

'It is great that we have so many committed to improve the care of people with dementia. However we now need every hospital in England to sign up. There are scandalous variations in quality of dementia care in hospitals and many people with dementia have been receiving unsatisfactory care for too long.

'Any patient who enters a hospital deserves to receive nothing short of the best care. This is even more crucial for people with dementia. By making improvements hospitals are also giving a sense of pride and well being to their staff who we know want to be equipped to provide the best care possible.'

Health Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt, said:

'I want Britain to be one of the best places in Europe for dementia care, and each of us can play a role in making this happen. We have made tremendous progress this year in raising awareness of dementia and improving the environments in which people with the condition are treated but there is still much more to do.

'That is why the support, commitment and enthusiasm of the army of volunteers, charities and hospitals is so important. They play a key part in tackling one of the most critical challenges we are facing today.

The DAA launched the call to action in partnership with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.  Catherine Holmes, Lead Associate at the NHS Institute, said:

'Acute Hospitals sit at the heart of dementia friendly communities. We are committed to working with members of the DAA to support acute trusts in England to get started on their journey to becoming dementia friendly.

'People with dementia tell us coping in a different environment can be confusing for anyone but for them this is even more challenging. Through the call to action we hold the key to helping people with dementia experience high quality care and to equipping staff with the confidence to champion best practice and create a culture of excellence.'

The Dementia Action Alliance Annual Event is sponsored by Bupa. Professor Graham Stokes, Co-Chair of the DAA and Director of Dementia Care, Bupa Care Services UK, said:

'The right training is vital to providing person-centred care for people living with dementia, whether in a hospital, care home or in the community. With skills and understanding it is a condition that can not only be managed but it really is possible to support people with dementia to live well.'

The five key areas hospitals are being asked to focus on to improve the care of people with dementia are:

• The environment in which care is given
• The knowledge skills and attitudes of the workforce
• The ability to identify and assess cognitive impairment
• The ability to support people with dementia to be discharged back home
• The use of a person centred care plan which involves families and carers

To see a full list of who has signed up so far or if you are a hospital trust or a similar organisation that would like to sign up, go to www.dementiaaction.org.uk/therightcare

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Notes to editors:

• For more information, images of Bradford Teaching Hospital or for interview requests, please contact Alzheimer’s Society press office on 08450 744 395 or by emailing press@alzheimers.org.uk
  
• For interview requests for Jeremy Hunt please contact Mina at the DH Press Office on 0207 210 5435
• The Dementia Action Alliance consists of 160 organisations. For a full list of the participating organisations go to http://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/info/1/participating_organisations
• Visit dementiaaction.org.uk/therightcare to find out more information about ‘The Right Care: creating dementia friendly hospitals’
• One in three people over 65 will develop with dementia
• Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 800,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer’s disease. In less than ten years a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051
• The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement supports the NHS to transform healthcare for patients and the public by rapidly developing and spreading new ways of working, new technology and world-class leadership.
• Please visit www.institute.nhs.uk for further information on the NHS Institute and its work.