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Dementia service deploys healthcare assistants to deliver one-to-one care

Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a new service in which healthcare assistants care for people with dementia

A new dementia service in which healthcare assistants provide one-to-one care to patients is being rolled out after a successful trial at Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust introduced the enhanced care service last year with ten specially trained healthcare assistants.

The trust’s lead nurse for older patients, Julie Thompson, who launched the service with chief nurse Brendan Brown, said: ‘Consistency of care is paramount when caring for patients with dementia and the team has really helped to achieve this.’

She said that since the introduction of the service there had been no patient falls and doctors have received fewer bleeps calling them to attend to patients.

‘Patients feel more settled on the wards and less distressed,’ Ms Thompson added.

The trust said reliance on agency and bank staff has been reduced and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has now adopted the same model, with other trusts expressing an interest in following suit.

The trust has also introduced a specialist frailty team to give prompt assessment to patients over the age of 75 who arrive at its emergency department or acute assessment centre.