Trust makes pledge to Carers during Dementia Awareness Week

Dementia Awareness Week takes place this week and York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is using the national awareness week to not only highlight its work in this important area but to make a public pledge to adopt John’s Campaign, an initiative which recognises the important role that carers play and their right to stay and support people with dementia when they are in hospital.

John’s Campaign was launched in the Observer newspaper in November 2014 after the death of Dr John Gerrard. Set up by his daughter writer Nicci Gerrard, the aim of the campaign is to give the carers of those living with dementia the right to stay with them in hospital, in the same way that parents stay with their sick children

In the UK patients with dementia now occupy one in three hospital beds. Being in hospital can be even more daunting and difficult for patients with dementia as they are not in their familiar surroundings, surrounded by the people that look after them on a day-to-day basis and have an intimate understanding of their individual needs.

Beverley Geary, Chief Nurse at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, explained: “We are continuing with our work to be a Dementia Friendly organisation and as a Trust we are committed to providing patient centred care in partnership with carers.

“We welcome carers at our hospitals. We recognise the important role that they play in providing continuity of support during a patient’s journey and have pledged to introduce John’s Campaign this year across all our hospitals to support carers of patients with dementia to stay with their loved ones, if they wish to do so.

“We have already begun engaging with our staff about the importance of supporting carers to stay with patients as well as how our staff can further engage with carers in their role.

“Our next steps will be to revisit our visitor’s guidance and visiting times in order to promote and encourage more flexible visiting.  We also plan to look at how we can support carers if they would like to stay overnight, by improving the provision of beds and overnight facilities.”

During Dementia Awareness Week the Trust will be holding awareness stands at York and Scarborough Hospital and a number of additional Dementia Friends Sessions have been planned for staff as the Trust continues with its aim of putting 3,000 staff through the specialised training session in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society. It has also launched a campaign to recruit additional staff to take on the role of Dementia Champion. 

17 May 2016