The introduction of a 2 year pilot project to bring dementia specialist nursing services to Norfolk has been made possible thanks to collaboration between the county's Clinical Commissioning Groups and Dementia UK, the national charity which funds Admiral Nurses.
The service which will support families affected by dementia across the county has been welcomed by Former Health Minister Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk.
“This is a positive step for local dementia services, which could have a big impact on the quality of life of people living with dementia in Norfolk – and their loved ones.”
Reporting for the Nursing TImes, Steve Ford explains more....
Clinical commissioning groups in Norfolk have agreed to co-fund a pilot scheme for Admiral nurses with the charity that runs the service nationally for two years.
As a result, six Admiral nurses are set to be recruited, to provide tailor-made services for South Norfolk, Norwich and North Norfolk.
Each of the three area’s CCGs has agreed to invest £50,000 a year, which will be matched by national charity Dementia UK, bringing the total investment over two years to £300,000.
This investment has also been made possible by the dedication of local fundraising groups which have campaigned tirelessly on top of pledging to raise significant sums.
The service is expected to start in the summer. Guidance on how referrals to the service will be made will be established once the nurses are in post.
Like elsewhere in the country, the Admiral nurses will offer specialist support to families affected by dementia with the most complex needs.
They will work in partnership with the existing services to ensure families get the best help possible when they need it, identifying the appropriate resources to meet their requirements.
I am really pleased that the CCGs in central Norfolk have committed to work in partnership with Dementia UK to deliver much needed specialist support to families affected by dementia.
“We will be working with the CCGs and other key stakeholders including service users over the next two years to ensure that an effective service is delivered and to explore routes of funding with the aim of enabling a long-term sustainable Admiral nurse service,”
Dementia UK
The charity said it would work with South Norfolk CCG and local organisations and community groups to identify how future or additional funding can be identified after the initial two-year period.
This was also on the clear understanding that if local people wanted the service to expand, then any additional funding may need to come from either the community or the third sector, said the CCG.
Meanwhile, Norwich CCG is building the new Admiral nursing pilot service as part of a three-tier approach to supporting local families.
The Admiral nurses in Norwich would offer support to those families with higher needs or a sudden crisis, said the CCG.
It said it was also planning to make further funding available for dementia support workers who can support people with less complex needs.
In addition, it said it wanted to look at the advice and advocacy services it funds in Norwich to ensure they continue to help as many people as possible and work closely with the dementia support workers and Admiral nurses.
