New dementia service for Halton

A service which helps families cope day-to-day with dementia has seen such a success in Knowsley that it is now expanding into Halton.

The Admiral Nurse Service, which is provided by specialist dementia nurses, will be based in the community and the nurses will work with local families to ensure they are better able to understand and cope with the changes which can occur with dementia. They will work with the family to make informed decisions about their future needs, to enable the family to stay together for as long as possible.

Admiral nurses play a unique role in care management by joining up the different parts of the health and social care system, and help address the needs of family carers and people with dementia in a coordinated way.

The Admiral Nurse Service is delivered by 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and works in partnership with Dementia UK which governs and monitors the service. The service has been running in Knowsley since 2011.

 

Margaret Dempsey, aged 83, lives in Knowsley and cares for her husband, Alf, who is 85. She said: “My admiral nurse is Jackie; she first came in my door as a nurse, but went out of my door a friend. The help and advice she gave me about dementia was second to none.

“At first I couldn't understand why I needed support when it was my husband who was ill, but I soon realised the demands of looking after someone with dementia on your own can make you ill.

“Jackie helped me to understand the illness so that I could cope better. She became my comfort blanket at a time when I needed it most. I’m very grateful to her.”

Norah Flood, Clinical Director at 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted this service is expanding to Halton. Our admiral nurses do an excellent job. They work hand-in-hand with families, helping them cope with the fear, uncertainty and difficult everyday reality of dementia.”

Hilda Hayo, Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO of Dementia UK, said: “The expansion of the Admiral Nurse Service to Halton is testament to the excellent support that our admiral nurses give to families living with dementia. We strive to give the help of an admiral nurse to everyone who needs one and are pleased to be able to support more families in both Halton and Knowsley.”

The new Admiral Nurse Service in Halton will be taking referrals from the beginning of March coinciding with the Dementia UK ‘Time for a Cuppa’ awareness-raising week, from 1 to 8 March.

You can meet the Halton admiral nurse team at their ‘Time for a Cuppa’ event on Monday 7 March from 11am to 2pm in the reception area at the Brooker Centre, Halton Hospital.

To access the service, you must be caring for a family member with dementia and be registered with a Halton GP. Speak to your GP or healthcare professional for details, or you can self refer by calling the admiral nurse team directly on 01928 753162.

Pictured – The Halton Admiral Nurse team are specialist dementia nurses who support families to ensure they are better able to understand and cope with the changes which can occur with dementia.