First group of Dementia Champions graduate

On 14 March 2012, 92 participants graduated from Scotland’s first ever Dementia Champions programme, at a ceremony attended by over 150 people in Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh.

The first group of Dementia Champions are NHS staff, predominantly nurses but also Allied Health Professionals such as physiotherapists and dieticians, who will work to improve standards of care and support for people with dementia being treated in acute hospitals across Scotland. Currently around 25% of all general hospital beds in Scotland are occupied by people over the age of 65 who have some form of dementia.

Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities, delivered a congratulatory keynote address.

When we published Scotland’s first National Dementia Strategy, we knew the key to its implementation would be a national, strategic approach to developing and upskilling the dementia workforce. You are the trailblazers and I know you are already making a difference, influening cultural and behavioural changes in how care is delivered for people with dementia.
Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities

NHS Education for Scotland commissioned the University of the West of Scotland, in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, to develop, deliver and evaluate the programme.

Dementia Champions – making a difference from NES on Vimeo.

The Dementia Champions training included a comprehensive mix of:

regional study days led by University of West of Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland trainers, plus valuable input from people with dementia, carers and family members;

distance learning, which allowed the Dementia Champions to study from their various locations across Scotland, as well as communicate with each other and request support from trainers;

a day’s placement in a community-based setting supporting people with dementia (this was commonly an Alzheimer Scotland service);

submission of written assignments, developing a portfolio of practice and providing evidence that they were already starting to bring about change in the workplace.

Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, welcomed the impact of the new Dementia Champions.

The new Dementia Champions are a vital component in delivering meaningful change to people with dementia and their families. We are greatly impressed by their commitment and enthusiasm. They will complement the work done by Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurse Specialists/Consultants: both those already appointed and those who will come into post over the next few months as part of the jointly-funded investment made by Alzheimer Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Together, these highly-committed staff will demonstrate the necessary leadership to start transforming and improving our acute general hospitals. This transformation will be supported by Promoting Excellence, the Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland and the NHS Health Improvement Scotland inspections of hospitals. We must now ensure that every person with dementia and their families in our acute hospitals benefit from these investments and are treated with the utmost dignity and respect and at all times.
Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland

The second group of Dementia Champions, which will be twice the size of the first, will also include Social Services staff and commence their training in May 2012.