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Improving Dementia Care in an Acute Hospital: Partnership Working in Action. Heather Eardley Teresa Parsons Frazer Underwood. NHS SouthWest Dementia Care Standards. The challenge for RCHT. Needed:
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Improving Dementia Care in an Acute Hospital: Partnership Working in Action Heather Eardley Teresa Parsons Frazer Underwood
The challenge for RCHT Needed: • To gain patient/carer views to measure compliance against the new SouthWest Dementia Care Standards • To explore the qualitative aspect of service improvement from a practical and practice-based perspective Wanted: • To strength partnership working opportunities with The Patients Association and Alzheimer's Society • To have an independent report
How we started… • The three organisations came together to design a potential interview proforma around the specific standards we wanted to explore Methodology: • Recruit and train 4 interviewers (2 volunteers) • Survey: 18 patients and 11 carers on 8 wards • Interviews over 4 weeks (July / August 2011)
Reflection on starting off… + Volunteers involved in whole process + Recruitment of volunteers: Need for Trust checks and induction and for specialist dementia awareness knowledge and training -skilled in communication + Richness in qualitative feedback + Useful to have carers present with patient surving (11/18) - Case finding/identifying patients with a diagnosis of dementia was an issue
Survey findings… • Written report presented to the Trust that highlighted quotes, suggestions for improvements and recommendations
Questions and Themes Standard 1: • Respect, dignity and appropriate care; individual assessment of needs; Standard 2: • information provision and sharing – use of ‘This is me’; carers/relative involvement; Standard 4: • Provision of a ‘dementia friendly environment’; experience of moving wards Standard 5: • Nutrition and meal- time experiences Standard 6 • Provision of therapeutic activity ; use of volunteers
Recommendations to the Trust… • Provide - better access to information: preadmission /discharge/what’s happening next • Rollout - ‘This is ME’ • Involve – Carers more • Provide - Carers awareness training • Improve - Communications, handovers and between staff and carers • Provide – Better access to activities and volunteers • Promote - Protected mealtimes • Improve – The environment • Repeat – The survey
What next ? Locally: • RCHT Dementia Care Action Group supported recommendations • Action plan developed which will feed into the Trust's 2012/13 Dementia Care Improvement Plan • Carers awareness training planned for April • Mealtime volunteer recruitment underway • Repeat of survey over the Summer
What next ? Regionally and potentially Nationally: Use of methodology in other Trusts Explore and promote wider working opportunities with the ‘Third Sector’ 10
Reflections on the benefits of this approach… • Partnership working • Respected independent opinion • Project based - time limited /outcome focused • Good use of volunteers • Immediacy – from set up to completion • Cost effective • Practical and simple methodology • Gives staff more confidence, direct feedback
Contact details Heather Eardley South West Regional Manager heather@patients-association.com mobile: 07527362107 Teresa Parsons Locality Development Officer Alzheimer’s Society 07540920302 teresa.parsons@alzheimers.org.uk Frazer Underwood Consultant Nurse for Older People / Associate Director of Nursing 01872 255043 frazer.underwood@rcht.cornwall.nhs.uk