RCN launches new guide to improve care for people with dementia

Published: 15 October 2012

The Royal College of Nursing has today (15 October) launched a new film and practical guide to support and improve dementia care in general hospitals.

The new resources will help nurses support the implementation of the RCN’s key principles for improving dementia care. These principles are: skilled staff with time to care, partnership working with carers, assessment and early identification of dementia, care that is person centred and individualised, and environments that are dementia friendly.

The guide and film, which are also aimed at senior managers such as directors of nursing, as well as trust boards, offers information, advice and further reading on each of the five principles.

The film, which is presented by Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador Angela Rippon, looks at how to deliver high quality care, and shares the perspectives of people with dementia, family carers and practitioners. Up to a quarter of hospital beds are occupied by someone with dementia and currently around 40 per cent of patients over the age of 75 who are admitted to general hospitals have dementia.

Royal College of Nursing Dementia Project Manager, Rachel Thompson, said: “Hospital settings can be confusing, challenging and overwhelming for someone with dementia, so it is crucial that we get this right.

“We are calling for the principles that we set out last year to be embedded in our hospital care. The guide and film will enable staff to improve dementia care in their own setting. It brings together best practice that can be adapted for local communities.”

Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia at the Department of Health, said: “We are pleased to have worked with the RCN to develop this important resource. While some hospitals provide high quality care for people with dementia and their carers, there are others where improvements can be made. I would encourage everyone who works in hospital settings to make use of this resource, and apply the principles to help deliver the best possible care.”

 
 
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Notes for Editors
 
1.     The guide and film were funded by the Department for Health.

2.  For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit  http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
 
3.     The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nursing staff and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.