Our services

Support for patients living with dementia and/or probable diagnosis is led by our Admiral Nurse and dementia clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and supported by a network of dementia and delirium champions in wards and departmental areas.

The wide range of support offered includes:

• Psychological and emotional support for patients, their families and carers
• Approaches to support patients with behavioural and psychological symptoms and distressed reactions without medication
• Supporting transitions of care as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Supporting conversations about nutritional needs and associated challenges
• Supporting patients with dementia and delirium
• Referrals to appropriate agencies
• Therapeutic interventions which may include Namaste care

If you are a patient living with dementia, or a relative or carer of a patient in our care, and want to speak to our Admiral Nurse, please speak to the ward manager and they will be able to put you in touch, or call 01279 978777.

Meet our Admiral Nurse

Caroline Ashton-Gough (pictured right), Admiral Nurse/dementia clinical nurse specialist (CNS), joined PAHT as a registered nurse in 1996.
Prior to nursing, Caroline was a health care support worker and started her training to become a registered nurse in 1993.
Throughout her career, Caroline has been passionate about caring for patients living with dementia and those with palliative and end of life care needs.
Caroline held the role of ward manager for various different wards at PAHT for 18 years, before taking on the role of dementia CNS in 2018.
Caroline brings a wealth of nursing knowledge and experience to PAHT and strives to deliver a relationship centred approach to dementia care, new and innovative ways of teaching/learning and to engage with the wider community.

Accreditations

We have signed up to the Dementia Friendly Hospital Charter. This outlines the high-level principles that people with dementia and their carers can expect when accessing our hospital.

We have also been awarded Working Towards Dementia Friendly Hospitals status for 2024-25. This recognises what we have already achieved, what is in progress, and what we aspire to achieve in relation to dementia care.  

This is Me

This is Me is a leaflet that acts as a support tool to enable person-centred care, that is used to record details about a person who can't easily share information about themselves. For example, it can be used to record:

• A person's cultural and family background
• Important events, people and places from their life
• Their preferences and routines

The This is Me leaflet can be used in any setting for example, at home, in hospital, in respite care or in a care home. It helps health and social care professionals better understand who the person really is, which can help them deliver care that is tailored to their personal needs.

The leaflet can help to reduce distress for people living with dementia and their carers. It can also help overcome problems with communication, and prevent more serious conditions such as malnutrition and dehydration.

What is delirium

Delirium is a worsening or change in a person's mental state that happens suddenly, over one to two days.

The person may become confused, or be more confused than usual, or they may become sleepy and drowsy. You can read more about delirium, how to tell if someone is confused, and the causes of sudden confusion, via this link. 

You can also learn more about delirium by watching the video below.

Namaste care

Namaste care is a compassionate approach to care for people living with advanced dementia. It enables health care professionals to change the focus and structure of care given to people living with dementia, to focus on their individual needs through the use of the five senses which may include therapeutic, loving touch.

Namaste care is described as ‘holistic’ because it is incorporated into all aspects of daily life and involves a range of physical, sensory and emotional approaches.

You can learn more about Namaste Care and approaches used to communicate with people with advanced dementia by watching the video below.

Other useful information:

Join dementia research
Join dementia research is a national platform funded by the Department of Health and Social Care which encourages people with and without dementia to support and take part in dementia research. You can read more via this link >

Dementia UK
Dementia UK is a national charity that provides support to patients living with dementia, their family and carers. You can read more via this link >

Alzheimer's Society - dementia support services

Use this link for further information about the support services from the Alzheimer's Society

Dementia friendly activities in Harlow

Use this link to access information from Rainbow Services

Rainbow Services dementia support Harlow

Helping to enable those affected to Live Well with Dementia.

Working in partnership with the Harlow Dementia Friendly Community, Rainbow Services helps those who live with Dementia, and their carers, to improve their quality of life, through the following activities:

• Providing Dementia friendly activities and events
• Providing easy access to appropriate resources
• Signposting to the most appropriate agencies for further help
• Improving life in the community by increasing awareness
• Assisting businesses, healthcare settings, charities and community groups to better understand and support those living with Dementia by facilitating the Harlow Dementia Friendly Organisation status.

To find out more contact ron@rainbowservices.org.uk

Forget me Not Volunteers

The role of the Forget me Not Volunteer is to provide compassionate support to our patients living with dementia.

For further information, please contact, Phillipa Haslehurst,, phillipa.haslehurst@nhs.net 

Below is some feedback received from a volunteer about their role and what it means to them.