Update from Scotland
Published: 20 February 2013
Since the last Scottish update for the Older People’s Forum newsletter, there have been some considerable advances and changes for older people and older people’s care and nursing within Scotland.
The Scottish Government has announced that each of the health boards in Scotland now has an Alzheimer’s Scotland specialist dementia nurse in post. These posts are a joint venture between Alzheimer’s Scotland and NHS Scotland, and they have made the commitment to improving standards and quality of life of those with dementia and their family members, both in acute and community settings. They are also there to provide support and advice for professionals who care for and support individuals and families who are affected by dementia.
Background
Former Cabinet Secretary of Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon made care of the elderly her “personal priority”, with a particular focus on dementia. She announced a regime of inspections, oversaw the launch of Scotland’s first dementia strategy in 2010 and confirmed the Scottish Government’s guarantee of one-year’s post-diagnostic support in March 2012.
The guarantee, apparently a “world first”, means that everyone receiving a diagnosis of dementia in Scotland will have access to a year of support, from a named and trained individual, based on the Alzheimer Scotland five-pillars model of post-diagnostic support. (Read more on the five-pillars model on the Alzheimer Scotland website.)
Scotland’s dementia strategy is currently being revised, and is expected to include some elements of Alzheimer Scotland’s eight-pillar model of community support. The 2010 strategy outlined 25 commitments to improve dementia care in Scotland and has since had its one-year and two-year review.
RCN Scotland has contributed to the dementia dialogue events informing the review of the strategy, commenting that the care for people with dementia is extremely complex, so having the right number of appropriately trained registered nurses and other health care staff with the right knowledge and skills is critical.
RCN Scotland also provided the Scottish Government with statements of support for the Liverpool Care Pathway, which was integrated into its position statement on the use and continuation of the pathway for the dying patient. Read the RCN news story.
The work around integration of health and social care continues and the RCN is strongly involved in this, ensuring that members’ concerns and views are represented at all levels – further information on this can be found on the integration of adult health and social care webpages on the Scottish Government website
A Scottish Government consultation opened in December 2012 for all people who are involved in the management and regulation of care services. The consultation relates to care inspection fees and is open for comment until March 2013. Further details can be accessed via the Scottish Government website
All that is left to say from Scotland to the RCN Older People’s Forum members north of the border and across the UK is that I’m looking forward to continuing the excellent job that we are doing in the year ahead.