NEWS
Training for all more effective than champions, say dementia experts Nurses are striving to achieve improvements in dementia care on hospital wards as global health leaders pledged to find a treatment or cure for the disease within the next 12 years. Prime minister David Cameron was among world leaders who attended last week’s G8 dementia summit in London and promised a significant increase in funding to speed up development of treatments for dementia, which affects 44 million people worldwide. The promise comes one year after Mr Cameron called for there to be a ‘dementia champion’ on every adult NHS ward in England, as well as a dementia nursing expert in every hospital organisation. A Nursing Standard survey of 34 trusts has found 82 per cent currently have a dementia nurse expert in post. Yet 29 per cent said they did not have dementia champions on every ward. Alzheimer’s Society head of policy George McNamara told Nursing Standard that improving dementia care should be a top priority for hospitals. ‘While having a dementia champion available on many wards is a great development, what is most important is that all staff have appropriate dementia training and awareness.’
About 800,000 people in the UK have dementia and government estimates show that one in four acute beds are occupied by someone with the condition. Trusts with dementia champions on all adult wards include Royal Devon and Exeter, Frimley Park in Surrey and Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London.
Staff video
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust created 100 dementia champions in February, including the trust’s chief executive John Saxby and chairman John Jesky, although most of the roles
PA PHOTOS
By Nursing Standard reporters
David Cameron is promoting ‘champions’ role
are held by nurses. The trust released a training video for staff in May, giving them tips on how to spot dementia, triggers for the disease and how to deal sensitively with patients. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust trialled the use of dementia champions in May 2012, while Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust introduced dementia champions on all 66 adult wards last month. June Andrews, director of the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre, said hospital organisations should shift the focus away from labels such as ‘dementia champion’ and instead concentrate on better training for all members of staff. ‘You would not give someone half a day’s diabetes training and call them a diabetes champion,’ she said. ‘Every single member of staff needs to be more aware of dementia, but they should not be given a badge that makes them sound like an expert.’ She added that qualified nursing staff on surgical and medical wards need a higher level of dementia knowledge, either through undergraduate pre-registration training programmes or continuing professional development.
DEATH RATE AT MID STAFFS SUGGESTS IMPROVEMENTS IN CARE Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has made dramatic improvements in patient mortality figures for 2012/13. The trust recorded a hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR) of 83:23 in the Dr Foster Hospital Guide, published this month. Mid Staffs’ ratio was better than those of 90 per cent of trusts in England. The trust experienced high death rates from 2005-08.
The HSMR gives a measure of how many deaths occur at a trust compared to what would be expected for that organisation. Using mathematical modelling analysts created an HSMR figure of 100 as the average for the whole sample. Nine trusts across England recorded a ratio of less than 83. Mid Staffs director of nursing Suzanne Banks, who took up the post earlier this
month, told Nursing Standard: ‘Staff are delighted that all their hard work in terms of patient safety has been realised.’ She added that staff continued to make patient safety their ‘number one priority,’ despite the uncertainty about the trust’s future, with special administrators due to report to the healthcare regulator Monitor this week. To see the trusts’ performance go to tinyurl.com/NHS-performance
NURSING december 18No :: vol 28uses no 16-18 2013 11 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 15, 2015. For personal use only. other without::permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Training for all more effective than champions, say dementia experts Nurses are striving to achieve improvements in dementia care on hospital wards as global health leaders pledged to find a treatment or cure for the disease within the next 12 years. Prime minister David Cameron was among world leaders who attended last week’s G8 dementia summit in London and promised a significant increase in funding to speed up development of treatments for dementia, which affects 44 million people worldwide. The promise comes one year after Mr Cameron called for there to be a ‘dementia champion’ on every adult NHS ward in England, as well as a dementia nursing expert in every hospital organisation. A Nursing Standard survey of 34 trusts has found 82 per cent currently have a dementia nurse expert in post. Yet 29 per cent said they did not have dementia champions on every ward. Alzheimer’s Society head of policy George McNamara told Nursing Standard that improving dementia care should be a top priority for hospitals. ‘While having a dementia champion available on many wards is a great development, what is most important is that all staff have appropriate dementia training and awareness.’
About 800,000 people in the UK have dementia and government estimates show that one in four acute beds are occupied by someone with the condition. Trusts with dementia champions on all adult wards include Royal Devon and Exeter, Frimley Park in Surrey and Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London.
Staff video
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust created 100 dementia champions in February, including the trust’s chief executive John Saxby and chairman John Jesky, although most of the roles
PA PHOTOS
By Nursing Standard reporters
David Cameron is promoting ‘champions’ role
are held by nurses. The trust released a training video for staff in May, giving them tips on how to spot dementia, triggers for the disease and how to deal sensitively with patients. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust trialled the use of dementia champions in May 2012, while Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust introduced dementia champions on all 66 adult wards last month. June Andrews, director of the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre, said hospital organisations should shift the focus away from labels such as ‘dementia champion’ and instead concentrate on better training for all members of staff. ‘You would not give someone half a day’s diabetes training and call them a diabetes champion,’ she said. ‘Every single member of staff needs to be more aware of dementia, but they should not be given a badge that makes them sound like an expert.’ She added that qualified nursing staff on surgical and medical wards need a higher level of dementia knowledge, either through undergraduate pre-registration training programmes or continuing professional development.
DEATH RATE AT MID STAFFS SUGGESTS IMPROVEMENTS IN CARE Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has made dramatic improvements in patient mortality figures for 2012/13. The trust recorded a hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR) of 83:23 in the Dr Foster Hospital Guide, published this month. Mid Staffs’ ratio was better than those of 90 per cent of trusts in England. The trust experienced high death rates from 2005-08.
The HSMR gives a measure of how many deaths occur at a trust compared to what would be expected for that organisation. Using mathematical modelling analysts created an HSMR figure of 100 as the average for the whole sample. Nine trusts across England recorded a ratio of less than 83. Mid Staffs director of nursing Suzanne Banks, who took up the post earlier this
month, told Nursing Standard: ‘Staff are delighted that all their hard work in terms of patient safety has been realised.’ She added that staff continued to make patient safety their ‘number one priority,’ despite the uncertainty about the trust’s future, with special administrators due to report to the healthcare regulator Monitor this week. To see the trusts’ performance go to tinyurl.com/NHS-performance
NURSING december 18No :: vol 28uses no 16-18 2013 11 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 15, 2015. For personal use only. other without::permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
