Dementia service receives ‘excellent’ accreditation

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South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s dementia service team in Barnsley have been awarded a prestigious accreditation recognising the quality of their assessment, diagnosis and treatment of people with dementia.

The dementia service team with their accreditation certificate
The dementia service team with their accreditation certificate

The team, based at Kendray Hospital in Barnsley, received the highest level ‘accredited as excellent’ status from MSNAP (Memory Services National Accreditation Programme), part of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services in Barnsley. Staff working in the dementia service offer support and advice to local people experiencing dementia and carry out detailed assessments to uncover the underlying causes of memory problems.

A team of 15 people, including admin staff, memory workers and occupational therapists, worked for eight months to secure the accreditation, providing supporting written evidence and welcoming staff from MSNAP who visited on a ‘peer review’ day.

As part of the accreditation process, the service had to provide evidence of high quality work across several areas, including service planning and commissioning, assessment and diagnosis of dementia, and referral and access to memory services.

Following the accreditation, three members of staff from the dementia service have become accreditors, meaning they can visit other trusts to assess their standard of service.

Daniel Binney, admin manager within the team, said: “We were really pleased when we received the accreditation as it involved a lot of hard work, and it was a real boost for the team to be recognised.

“To be ‘accredited as excellent’ was especially amazing as our service users spoke to the team from MSNAP and gave us outstanding reviews to help us achieve the award.

“It’s also really positive for local people who use our service and our partners including GPs who now know the ‘excellent’ standard of service they will receive when they are referred to us.”

Dementia service receives ‘excellent’ accreditation

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