New partnership for local Trust and Admiral Nurses

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As a result of an exciting partnership between the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the national charity for dementia, Kirklees local authority and NHS Kirklees, three Admiral Nurses have been appointed.

The Admiral Nurses are the first to be appointed in Yorkshire and will work within Kirklees Older Peoples Services to provide specialist and skilled support to carers and families of people living with dementia.

The Admiral Nurses will also be able to offer supportive education to other staff providing care for people living with dementia. The education and development work undertaken by Admiral Nurses focuses on improving dementia services for all stakeholders.

This is a landmark opportunity for the Trust and Kirklees and as a result it has appointed individuals who have leadership ability and are capable of acting as ambassadors for the organisations involved in the partnership.

Chief executive Steven Michael said, “The appointment of the Admiral Nurses is fantastic news. The Trust sees first hand the impact dementia has in the community and recognises the important contribution that Admiral Nurses make in helping individuals and their families understand and cope with the challenges presented by dementia. The help and advice these Admiral Nurses will provide will be an invaluable addition to the support already available.”

Senior manager of practice development, Suzanne Wightman said, “Our aim is to enable carers and individuals living with dementia to experience improved quality of life and wellbeing wherever possible through the supportive education, partnership working and support to minimise stress and burden.”

The amount and type of support a carer needs may vary over time. A nurse might be asked for support once, or regularly over a number of years. The team will aim to provide continuity of care – this means that carers can stay in touch with the team even if they go through a period where they feel they need less support.

To extend the availability of Admiral Nurses across the UK a national helpline is also available to family and carers manned exclusively by experienced Admiral Nurses on 0845 257 9406.

Admiral Nurses are registered community mental health nurses specialising in dementia care. They work in partnership with other health and social care providers, and provide leadership to improve dementia care.

For more information log on to http://www.fordementia.org.uk/admiral.htm

New partnership for local Trust and Admiral Nurses

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