Care of Older People
2023 Winner
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Eye Envoys
In the UK, 80% of people aged >60 years live with sight loss and it is predicted that, by 2050, prevalence will double. The Eye Envoy training course was devised by two nurses to upskill local community teams in care homes to improve service delivery, decision making, risk management and supervisory capacity in eye care. The course was delivered over three days to 24 nurses from across eight North London care homes, with a reach of 614 care home residents. It aimed to give delegates the knowledge to support people’s existing conditions and insight to be alert for deterioration or new problems. Post-programme assessments noted marked improvement in delegates knowledge of eye care and the course is now being rolled out further.
Finalists
Foundation Trust: Ageing Well
This education and training programme
promoted a mindset of prevention and
an understanding of positive lifestyle
changes that support older people to
make healthy choices and increase their
likelihood of ageing well. It also helped
clinicians to deliver more-holistic care.
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust: Dementia Palliative Care Team
The team’s main aim was to improve care
for people in Derbyshire living and dying
with dementia, who had mental and
physical health needs. Focused on
helping them stay at home, the service
proved valuable in meeting patients’
palliative and advanced care planning
needs, and supporting their families.
Heart of Kent Hospice: Dementia Service
The service allows GPs to refer patients
for specialist, personalised clinical and
emotional support immediately after
diagnosis. Never discharged, patients
can start advanced care planning while
they have capacity. The team also runs a
monthly drop-in where carers can
access information and peer support.
Hospice Isle of Man: A nurse-led therapeutic support group for people living with dementia and their carers
Your Network is a monthly informal
group that allows carers to maintain the
social contact and peer support gained
while attending a bespoke training
course. The eight-week training aimed to
reduce carer stress and improve their knowledge and confidence in dealing
with people living with dementia.
Landermeads Nursing Home: Quality of life and continence promotion in long-term dementia care
This home ‘grows its own’ staff and its training focuses on empathy. Problems due to inappropriate continence products were addressed. Residents are happier and behaviours of concern, falls and urinary tract infections have reduced.
NAViGO Health and Social Care CIC: Janine Smith Suite
This complex care unit was set up to
address limited access to specialised
dementia care. Patients and families
reported improved quality of life, greater
satisfaction and better management of
their needs. Out-of-area placement
decreased, and medication, behavioural
and symptom management all improved.
NHS England: Recondition the Nation
This campaign attempted to reach as
many teams and patients nationwide as
possible to promote ‘deconditioning
prevention’. Over 900 medals have been
awarded for initiatives implemented, and
the number of medal applications
continues to grow, reflecting the
ongoing momentum of the campaign.
NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust: Dementia diagnosis in care homes
This work aimed to: increase awareness
of dementia and its effects; test an
advanced symptoms assessment model; reduce wait times in memory assessment
services; and increase staff confidence/
competence. Inter-organisational
relationships improved, and NHS England
has funded 14 sites to replicate the drive.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust: Let’s Get Moving
This quality improvement initiative to prevent deconditioning in older patients on Feltwell Ward set out to get them out of bed and dressed, and enhance their wellbeing. Innovative methods resulted in significant improvements in their functional independence, optimised patient flow and happier staff.
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust: Use of technology in patients with diabetes
All patients with type 2 diabetes in a
community nursing team were given a
continuous glucose monitoring device
and taught how to use it. Data from the
device were analysed by a diabetes
specialist nurse and medications were
changed or stopped accordingly. This
led to an improvement in care and a
decrease in the team’s workload.
Swansea Bay University Health Board: Diabetes education and information resource
A web-based resource was produced to
improve the knowledge and confidence
of clinicians and carers of older people
with diabetes in a care setting. The tool
is free to access, includes links to further
resources and has been widely shared
across Wales, where health boards have
used it to educate their staff.