STAFF at Scarborough Hospital have been taking part in specialist dementia training to learn about a radical approach for people in the early stages of the condition.
The programme, known as SPECAL (Specialised Early Care for Alzheimer’s), is an innovative approach to the care of people with dementia, offering a different way of managing the disease for both the person with dementia and their family.
Staff at S
carborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust will be hearing from experts about how they can improve the wellbeing of people with the condition.
Gordon Evans, programme lead for dementia at the University of York’s department of health sciences, said: “This will have a real impact on patient care.
“It is a key part of the trust’s work to push back the barriers to improve care for its local population.”
The trust continues to be at the forefront of NHS Trusts who are introducing initiatives to implement the Government’s dementia care strategy.
Working in partnership with the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York to increase the understanding of hospital staff around dementia issues, a new project entitled ‘Supporting individuals with dementia in general hospital settings’ was launched by the trust this year.
The project, which involves all levels of nursing staff across both Scarborough and Bridlington Hospitals, is helping staff understand the needs, communication styles and adjustments to medical care that can help make a hospital admission a more positive experience.
