25 May 2016 Care

New hospice Admiral Nurse to be appointed in Kirklees

Specialist dementia nurse will provide complex palliative and end of life care to people living with dementia

In partnership, Kirkwood Hospice, Kirklees Council, and Dementia UK, will be appointing a hospice Admiral Nurse, to support the Kirkwood Hospice care teams and the wider Admiral Nursing team in Kirklees. The appointment will extend the Admiral Nursing team in Kirklees to nine nurses, making it one of the largest in the country.

People living with dementia at the end of life often have complex palliative conditions. The new hospice Admiral Nurse will provide essential care in the Kirklees community to people living with dementia, as well as supporting their families and carers. The number of people living with dementia in Kirklees is expected to rise in the next 10 years, to around 7,000 people, so Kirkwood Hospice and Kirklees Council are working together to identify and fill care gaps so the community is equally and well supported.

Admiral Nurses provide a unique role in care management by joining up the different parts of the health and social care system, so the needs of family carers and people with dementia can be addressed in a co-ordinated way. This model of nursing is proven to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and enable people with life-limiting conditions to live the best quality of life that they can, while improving support to their families. Dementia UK, who developed the Admiral Nursing model, will work with Kirkwood Hospice and Kirklees Council to govern and support the Admiral Nurse service.

The hospice Admiral Nurse will work closely with the multi-disciplinary team at Kirkwood Hospice, to support those patients and families on its caseload living with dementia at the end of life. Additionally, the hospice Admiral Nurse will receive referrals from the wider Admiral Nursing team in Kirklees, offering vital expertise and support on complex palliative care and end of life cases. 

Sarah Shaw, Director of Clinical Services at Kirkwood Hospice said: “Improving access to care for people who don’t currently use our services but could is a vital part of our strategy. A recent report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) ‘A different ending – addressing inequalities in end of life care’ highlighted concerns that end of life care needs of people from equality groups, including people living with dementia, are particularly overlooked. Our aim is to improve inequality of care and to reach out to the wider community of Kirklees to improve access to dementia care at the end of life. The addition of a hospice Admiral Nurse is a huge step towards achieving this.

“All of Kirkwood’s staff has received Dementia Friends training and the new Admiral Nurse will complement the services our team already provide, helping to ensure the highest possible standard of care for those in need.”

Cllr Viv Kendrick, Kirklees Council Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care said: “The appointment of the Admiral Nurse is fantastic news. We see first hand the impact dementia has on people’s lives and recognise the important contribution that Admiral Nurses make in helping everyone to understand and cope with the challenges presented by dementia. The help and advice Admiral Nurses provide has been an invaluable addition to the support already available and I look forward to hearing more about the difference this has positively made”.

Wendy Weidner, Business Development Manager, Dementia UK said: “Admiral Nursing is a proven model in the Kirklees community and the local health and council service providers set the standard for how dementia care should be approached. We’re pleased that we’re able to collaboratively work with Kirkwood Hospice and Kirklees Council to enhance palliative and end of life care to local families who are living with dementia, especially as they need vital specialist health and social care, and emotional support.”