The Isle of Wight NHS Trust has launched a Dementia Navigators service to help support people who are living with the effects of dementia or awaiting a dementia assessment.
This service is being delivered in partnership with Age UK Isle of Wight and the Isle of Wight Council’s Adult Social Care service.
The Dementia Navigators service is comprised of a team of 3 Dementia Navigators who are based in the community and a Memory Service Navigator, based at St Mary’s Hospital. Together, they act as a point of contact for people awaiting a dementia assessment and help to support people after their diagnosis.
The Navigators take a person-centred approach when creating a support plan, considering their personal needs – such as what they enjoy, what they might find difficult and what is important to them. They can signpost and refer people using our services and their families and carers to existing dementia support and resources and refer them to other health and care services, including third sector organisations and Adult Social Care assessment or community nursing for therapeutical advice and support.
People diagnosed with dementia, their families, and carers can access expert advice, bespoke resources and referrals to both NHS and partner services.
This team works alongside the Memory Service and is part of the pathway redesign work that is continuing to increase capacity for dementia assessments and broaden the multidisciplinary team.
Michele Cook, Memory Service and Admiral Nurse Lead, says:
“The pandemic over the past two years has impacted on everyone and during this time, we have had to change the way that we deliver services, to ensure that patients and staff are kept safe.
Article continues below this advertisement “We understand how difficult this has been for people in our community and we are working tirelessly to see all those people who need it most in our communities, including those who need an urgent dementia assessment.
“As part improving our memory and admiral nursing services and to ensure that more people can be seen, more quickly, we are working with local organisations to join up the expert dementia support available on the Island and to deliver an integrated service across our health and care system.
“The Dementia Navigators service acts as a point of access to community-based support, enabling people to get the support they need while waiting for their dementia assessment. This service means people can get support in place in good time.”
Discharge Team Leader and Age UK Isle of Wight Manager, Kim Williams, adds:
“We are able to visit people in their own homes, and we act as a point of contact for people who have been referred for a dementia assessment.
“For many this makes this service more accessible and enables people to access support as early as possible, helping to enhance their quality of life.
“This could be something as simple as recommending an Alzheimer’s Café session closest to them or referring them to other healthcare services they might need, while they await their dementia assessment.
“We also help to signpost families and carers to get the support they need, for example we are able to point people towards getting respite care or assistance in finding out more about support grants available to them.”
To find out more about the service and to make a referral, get in touch with the Dementia Navigators by email on [email protected].
Many things make dementia worse or bring it in. Being a patient in St Mary’s is one of them. Improve the Nhs hospital while you’re at it, you might get less people needing referrals.
Patients should be seen whilst in hospital as they’re told they need an assessment but have to wait months sometimes and a large part of their wait is while they’re in a ward. This environment increases the risk as it’s confusing, isolating and quite frankly often shambolic as well. It’s a great idea but there’s plenty of those knocking around, just get the basics improved first!