Hospitals’ open visiting for dementia patients

WARRINGTON and Halton General Hospitals have been named as “John’s Campaign” hospitals – allowing open visiting times for relatives and carers of patients with dementia.
The two hospitals are supporting the campaign’s “Stay with Me” initiative.
John’s Campaign was started by Nicci Gerrard, the daughter of Dr John Gerrard, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in his mid-seventies, and Julia Jones, whose mother June Jones had a similar experience.
Dr Gerrard’s experience was the catalyst for a campaign to allow open visiting for family and carers to be there to support their loved ones  during their stay.
Warrington Hospital’s Forget Me Not unit, which opened in 2014, is a purpose built facility, with a dedicated team of highly skilled nurses, doctors and allied healthcare professionals providing patients with dementia with specialised care. Family and carers are not restricted from visiting loved ones and are welcomed at any time of the day and into the evening.
Staff encourage visitors to come to the ward at a time that suits them and their loved ones and to stay on the ward. While they are on the unit they are encouraged to participate in any care delivery or therapy sessions that they and the patients choose.
Many other wards at Warrington and Halton Hospitals have also introduced open visiting from 2pm–8pm, as many patients and families want this and  patients benefit from the support of their loved ones whilst in hospital. It is now standard practice that when a patient with dementia is admitted to another ward other than the Forget Me Not unit the family are issued with a card that indicates the trust supports them to visit at any time -even if the ward does not usually permit open visiting.
Karen Dawber, director of nursing at Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Families and carers play a vital part in the care of their loved ones and as such it is important for them to spend as much time with them as they wish, be that day or night. We introduced open visiting on our Forget Me Not unit which has been very much appreciated by families.
“Using our carers cards on other wards where a patient with dementia needs specialist care also ensures that they are invited to participate in care, activities and decisions for their treatment which is so important.”
To find out more about John’s campaign visit www.johnscampaign.org.uk