Dementia Champions

Up to 70% of our beds are occupied by patients over the age of 65 and many of our patients and visitors have dementia.

Many of our staff are Dementia Champions - a point of contact and source of advice for patients, visitors, carers, volunteers and colleagues.

Dementia-friendly wards

Jupiter ward is a pioneering 'dementia friendly ward' (others are planned), and discreet systems are in place in others to make sure staff are aware which patients have dementia and so might need special support.

Adaptations have also been made to bathrooms to make them more accessible and easy to use.

Wendy Johnson, senior sister for coronary care and a Dementia Champion, said:

"Often people with dementia can have problems with height or seeing things properly - they may see a step when there isn't one - so we've made adaptations to reduce the risk of falls.

"We've also installed more clocks on wards as dementia patients often have difficulty in distinguishing between day and night."

Further information

Please see: