Leads from all acute hospitals in Wessex met on a quarterly basis to focus on the needs of carers of people with dementia, building on the work they have already done and modelling best practice to improve services.
The eight acute hospitals in Wessex - Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital, University Hospital Southampton, Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth, Dorset County Hospital, Poole Hospital, Salisbury Hospital, and Hampshire Hospitals FT - signed up to be part of the acute care development programme. Established to improve care for patients with dementia, this project ran until March 2016 and a project manager was employed to assist with the implementation of the work.
Each hospital undertook a variety of development projects ranging from the implementation of John’s Campaign, to carers’ support groups and volunteers assisting at the bedside. Watch our film showing how one acute trust in Hampshire implemented John's Campaign:
The three acute hospitals in Dorset have worked together to reinstate the dementia champion at ward level. They also created a training film to raise awareness of the value that informal carers can play as a constructive part of the care plan and to adapt routine practices to better care for people with dementia.
We also asked people with dementia and their carers to share their experiences of living with the condition. Watch the film here:
Resources
Featured video
Resources
Tender of acute care development programme July 2015
Arts and Dementia: using participatory music making to improve acute dementia care
Wessex AHSN: Acute Care Development Programme report Nov 2016
Acute care development programme: BUDI evaluation report Sept 2016
Acute care development programme: BUDI evaluation report (short) Sept 2016
Improving Quality and Safety of Care in the Emergency Department for People with Dementia (poster)