Dementia and Delirium Team at Southport & Ormskirk hospital trust share newsletter

All about us

The Dementia and Delirium Team (D &D) have been established for over two years and what a time it has been. We have overcome many challenges setting up a brand new service, but we are now beginning to make valuable and lasting changes.
We receive between 70 – 100 referrals per month to support patients who are living with dementia, or those experiencing a delirium, and their families. We support patients in all aspects of care from therapeutic interventions to end of life care. We thrive to improve the patients journey, prevent inappropriate hospital admissions and work toward becoming a dementia friendly hospital.

Our ever-changing environment

Assessments have been ongoing using the King’s Funds environmental assessment tool to understand key areas that need improvement to make our hospital more dementia friendly.
Our new well being garden is well underway which will allow service users access to nature. We are hoping to establish therapeutic interventions within our garden to help improve outcomes for the people we care for.
The team have been working with local companies to help improve the look of the hospital environment to make it more dementia friendly. Scenic artwork has now been added in our new discharge lounge and plans are ongoing to replicate this throughout the hospital. We have received funding to apply prints to our ward doors to prevent exiting behaviours that may cause patients distress.

Improving our hospital journey

The Keep Me Here initiative is in development and will be used to prevent inappropriate hospital bed moves.
*The activity co-ordinators role which was developed to allow our patients to engage in therapeutic interventions to improve their hospital journey.
*What matters most is an initiative to ensure that we are providing person centred care.
*Southport and Ormskirk hospital support John’s campaign which encourages carers to be involved in their loved ones treatment whilst in hospital to help form positive outcomes.

Continuing to care

Training our staff is a key focus to give the staff the ability and knowledge to care for those living with dementia and delirium. What we offer:
*Monthly tier 2 dementia training
*Dementia tour bus – simulates what it is like to live with dementia.
*Bite size delirium training
*Dementia interpreters course – coming soon

Further projects

Our yellow boxes were created to keep personal property safe such as dentures, hearing aids and glasses as the loss of these devices can impede people’s ability to communicate and eat and drink.
Our hospital passport it used trust wide to understand what is important to the person and how best we can meet their needs.
We have a fabulous army of volunteers who knit lovely blankets and twiddle muffs and donate them to the trust to help comfort our patients.
We have obtained money from charitable funds to deliver activity provisions on the wards to enable staff to engage in therapeutic interventions.

We are always welcoming resources to help keep our patients engaged.
If you have any games, activities, puzzle books, dolls, teddy bears that are in good working order we are happy to receive donations.
Please donate to:
Dementia and Delirium Team
Southport hospital
Town Lane
PR8 6PN