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The Alzheimer Scotland Nurse Consultant (ASDNC) group's actions for 2019-2020 have been revealed at our annual conference. The actions have been published in the Leadership and innovation in hospital care: Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurse Consultants report 2015-2020.
As part of the new report, the actions are set out in a strategic plan and vision, which also outlines the main priorities and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the ASDNC group for the years 2019-2020.
The report is set out in three parts:
Part 1 provides an evidence-based picture of hospital care for people with dementia and their families in Scotland.
Part 2 highlights the impact of the ASDNCs since the last report in 2015.
Part 3 sets out key national priorities and actions for ASDNCs in the next two years.
The evidence in the report shows that the work of the ASDNCs and Dementia Champions; Promoting Excellence based education and training; improved environments; human rights including AWI and carer involvement have shifted the paradigm towards a greater awareness and understanding of the needs of people with dementia in hospital.
The report also shows the extreme importance of getting care right, against the costs at a human and resource level of getting this care wrong, as indicated by the number of people with dementia in acute hospitals.
It is evident from the report that sustainable change will require a whole-system approach across all health and social care settings and professions. The Mental Welfare Commission report into the care of Mrs V in 2011 demonstrated the need for specialist dementia care and acute hospital care to work together, and the consequences if they don't. These are therefore the priorities that the ASDNC group will focus on in 2019-2020; providing leadership, demonstrating change and enacting personalised care planning for people with dementia across all hospitals in Scotland.
Henry Simmons, Chief Executive, said: "It is quite remarkable to see how much progress has been made within the acute care environments of our NHS. Much of this is because of the dedication and leadership of the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurse Consultants and the sustained partnership and joint investment in this work between the Scottish Government, NHS Boards and Alzheimer Scotland.
"On behalf of Alzheimer Scotland, our members, supporters and donors we are delighted to see the outcomes of this work and we would wish to thank all the Nurse Consultants and the local and national teams that have made this possible."
The report and actions will be used to prepare a detailed action plan with key deliverables, dates and responsibilities. An annual monitoring report based on the action plan will be prepared and made available at the end of years 2019 and 2020.
To access the full report, please click here.
You can download our leaflet 'Coming into hospital - 5 key things' by clicking here