BURTON’S Queen’s Hospital ‘is adopting a pioneering approach’ to the treatment of patients with dementia, one of its bosses has said.
Shaun Brennan, service manager for medicine at the managing trust, said the strategy sought to improve care for people with the condition, which affects more than 3,400 people in Burton, South Derbyshire and North West Leicestershire.
His comments coincided with the publication of a report from the Alzheimer’s Society which said there were ‘scandalous variations’ in care standards for dementia patients in West Midlands hospitals.
It also found that although 97 per cent of nurses worked with people with dementia, 87 per cent in the region did not receive any or enough specific training despite 37 per cent finding the work ‘challenging’ and 55 per cent ‘quite challenging’.
The report highlighted issues such as neglect, malnourishment, dehydration, inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs, incontinence, dignity and lack of communication.
In a statement, the society said: “People with dementia occupy a quarter of all hospital beds and often through poor care stay far longer in hospital than people without the condition who are admitted for the same treatment.
“The society is calling for hospitals in the West Midlands to reduce the average length of stay for a person with dementia by at least a week, while taking immediate steps to improve the quality of care.
“The charity is also calling for better training in dementia care for nurses and care staff to improve care standards on hospital wards.” Mr Brennan said in 2008-09 Queen’s admitted more than 8,000 patients over the age of 65, a quarter of whom were likely to have suffered from dementia or another related mental health condition, equivalent to about 35 patients per week.
To tackle the ‘growing challenge’, Mr Brennan said the hospital was ‘adopting a pioneering approach’ by appointing a ‘dementia champion’, a position to be funded by the NHS for two years.
The new staff member would develop a modern developmenttraining programme for more than 200 staff which would be designed to help ensure that patients received care from trained staff.
Mr Brennan added: “Our aim is to add to clinicians’ knowledge of dementia and improve the experience of patients and their families.
“With our partners, the Alzheimer’s Society and carers, we intend to use this opportunity to ensure that patients only stay in hospital as long as necessary; or if their needs are more specific we will help to facilitate their transfer to community placements.”