Latest guidelines for dementia care published by Healthcare for London

Advice for NHS organisations and local authorities

Edited by Nick Adams: The Dementia Services Guide, published by Healthcare for London, offers advice to the NHS and local authorities on how to improve services and offers practical information on the checks that should be undertaken at every stage – from the GP surgery, through to ambulance and hospital care and care–in–the–community.

The guidelines promote early diagnosis and more support for people to live at home for longer. They recommend that health and social care providers should try to slow the progress of dementia with physical exercise, cognitive stimulation, and social activity.

Specialist mental health nurses or other healthcare professional should be assigned to each London borough to support carers; and a senior clinician should take the lead for quality improvement in dementia care in every acute hospital in the capital, according to the guidelines.

Rapid access memory services should also be commissioned to provide expertise in early identification and treatment and support for living well with dementia in the community, and care plans should be prepared to detail the precise needs of patients’ physical, psychological, and social health needs.

Less than half of the capital’s GPs believe they have received sufficient basic and post-qualification training to diagnose and manage dementia, says Healthcare for London, which advises better training across the health sector.

For further information visit Healthcare for London online at: www.healthcareforlondon.nhs.uk.

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GP–led, seven–days–a–week service, opens at Charing Cross Hospital

Fulham health centre treats minor injuries and illnesses

Edited by Nick Adams: Local residents in West London should benefit from easier access to GPs and emergency medical care since a new 24–hour health centre opened at Charing Cross Hospital recently.

The Fulham Centre for Health works alongside the emergency department to provide urgent care for people with minor injuries and illnesses. In addition, it functions like a conventional GP surgery and offers registration to local residents with appointments available between 8am and 8pm, seven–days–a–week.

Because the Centre is located on a hospital site it can provide quicker access to diagnostic services, such as X–rays. It joins the Hammersmith Centre for Health, opened in April this year, to provide GP and out–of–hour’s services.

Visit Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust online at: www.imperial.nhs.uk.

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Eco–friendly development opens for local people on Hillingdon housing list

First large–scale build to accomplish Level Five Code

Edited by Kaarina Miles: Paradigm Housing, in partnership with the London Borough of Hillingdon and the Homes and Communities Agency [HCA], has opened the first large–scale affordable housing initiative in London and the south east designed to meet the Level Five Code for sustainable homes.

Birchway eco–community uses green water recycling and solar panels to power lights in communal areas. It also has a biomass boiler that burns waste wood chips to power hot water and heating.

The contemporary development, designed by architects Acanthus, will offer 24 one and two–bedroom flats for local people on the council’s housing list.

A living sedum shrub on each low–level building’s curved roof will offer a habitat for insects and butterflies, and the site will have bird and bat boxes.

The Code was launched in 2007 and places particular importance on CO2 emissions. Since May 2008, all new homes are required to have a Code rating [one to six], to be included in the Home Information Pack. A Level One property’s performance is above the minimum required by the Building Regulations. A Level Six property is required to be ‘zero carbon’, for example, have zero net emissions of carbon throughout the year.

For more details visit Paradigm Housing online at: www.paradigmhousing.co.uk.

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Applicants across London wanted to join National Tenant Voice Council

Representatives in debate will help to shape policy

Edited by Kaarina Miles: Housing associations across London are asking tenants to apply to join the National Tenant Voice Council [NTV] – a new organisation for tenants of housing associations, housing co–ops and local authorities in England that aims to give tenants a voice, influence and expertise at national level.

The NTV will enable tenants to influence national policy by engagement with the Government and other bodies [including the new social housing regulator – the Tenant Services Authority]. It will be accountable to tenants, and aims to reflect the views of tenants sought through consultation and research.

It will be made–up of 50 tenants who will meet to debate and discuss key housing policy issues. Twenty–four members will be nominated by existing tenants’ organisations. The remaining 26 will be recruited.

It will have four key roles:

• advocacy – to enable and facilitate tenants to speak–up effectively,

• research – to ensure the views and experiences of tenants, particularly those who are not in tenants’ organisations, are taken into account,

• support for national and regional tenants’ organisations – to strengthen tenants’ organisations at regional and national level.

• communication – to develop mechanisms to communicate information to tenants as well as receive the views of tenants.

The closing date for applications is 16 October 2009.

For further information telephone: 0800 917 7396. Visit online: www.hays.com/jobs/ntv

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Richmond providers seek people’s views on two new mental health plans

Aimed at local adults of working age and older people

Edited by Kaarina Miles: NHS Richmond and The London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames would like people who live and work in the borough to participate in a consultation on mental health services as they develop two new mental health strategies.

The two strategies will last five years, from 2010 to 2015, and are for adults of working age and for older people.

The providers are particularly keen to hear from those who use/have used mental health services and their carers, and have designed a simple consultation questionnaire for this purpose. They ask people to give their views on how to improve all aspects of mental health care, from GP services to Community Mental Health Teams and housing services to self–directed support.

Questionnaires are available from the Mental Health Commissioning Team, telephone: 020 8973 3115. It can also be filled–in online at: www.richmondandtwickenham.nhs.uk.

A meeting for adult service users to give their views on the emerging strategy will take place on 30 November 2009. Anyone who wishes to attend should telephone: 020 8973 3116 or email: rebecca.campbell@rtpct.nhs.uk for more details.

Two carer consultation meetings will also take place on 19 October and 23 November. Information on these is available from Kim Willson, telephone: 020 8940 7384.

In November, NHS Richmond will report back with an overview of the comments received from the questionnaire and meetings in October. They will respond to and highlight any themes resulting from the feedback. The first draft strategies will then be available in November 2009 for people to comment on further.

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Londoners to get specialist stroke and major trauma centres next year

Round–the–clock facilities with consultant–led teams

Edited by Kaarina Miles: As a result of a consultation held by Healthcare for London, on plans to improve the stroke and major trauma services in the capital, the first of eight hyper-acute stroke centres and four major trauma centres will open next year, with all of the new facilities expected to be opened by 2011.

The centres will operate 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and will be staffed by consultant-led specialist teams with access to the best facilities.

The four new major trauma centres will be at:

• The Royal London Hospital,
  

• St George’s Hospital,
  

• King’s College Hospital,
  

• and St Mary’s Hospital.

They will treat the most seriously injured patients, such as those with multiple injuries, including head injury, life-threatening wounds and multiple fractures.

Patients with less serious injuries will be treated by their local Accident and Emergency trauma centres.

The eight hyper-acute stroke centres will be based at:

• Northwick Park Hospital,
  

• Charing Cross Hospital,
  

• University College Hospital,
  

• St George’s Hospital,
  

• King’s College Hospital,
  

• The Royal London Hospital,
  

• The Princess Royal University Hospital,
  

• and Queen’s Hospital.
  

They will provide specialist care to stroke patients who will later be transferred to one of 24 local hospital stroke units, in the capital, in order to continue their recovery.

Also, there will be additional services, within the same hospitals, which will cater for people who have had a transient ischaemic attack, or ‘mini-stroke’.

People who attend these will be rapidly assessed and treated, to help reduce the chance of a more serious stroke in the future.

Local services will be linked to a specialist centre as part of a network designed to share expertise and resources.

The plans were decided by a joint committee of primary care trusts, with the aim to save more lives and reduce long-term disability. However, many London boroughs have expressed concern that people who live far from the centres will have to travel for a long time to reach them.

For further information visit the Healthcare for London website: www.healthcareforlondon.nhs.uk.

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Get Moving events across London to mark World Mental Health Day

Take part in dancing, walks and sport... or just relax

Edited by Kaarina Miles: A free dance festival, including dance workshops will take place on World Mental Health Day at Regent’s Park on Saturday 10 October, from 1pm to 4pm, as part of a series of events happening across the capital this week.

Get Moving and Dance is part of a national campaign running from 3 to 11 October, involving mental health charities Mind and Rethink in partnership with Primary Care Trusts, councils and other organisations. It aims to highlight that exercise can be as effective as antidepressants in tackling mental health problems and is part of Time to Change, a national campaign to tackle the stigma of mental health.

Other Get Moving events in London this week, include walks in Islington and Wandsworth, and a festival in Woolwich on Saturday that will include dance, sport, relaxation and other activities.

At the Regent’s Park event, choreographers will be teaching Bollywood, Ceroc, Michael Jackson moves and other dance styles. Children’s TV presenter Dave Benson–Phillips, athlete Philips Idowu and classical boy band Blake will also take part. The BBC will help people de–stress in their Headroom tent.

For more information visit website: www.time-to-change.org.uk.

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