Dementia Services Review

Public consultation

The dementia services consultation is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part.

Now that the public consultation has closed. The responses have been carefully analysed by independent experts at Bournemouth University. A report of the analysis is now available.

These results were used to help the CCG’s Governing Body make its final decision. The full business case went to the Governing meeting on 13 November 2019. We are pleased to announce that the Governing Body approved the new model of care for dementia services as presented in the business case subject to final investment decisions which will be made over the next few months. We will update with a final decision once it has been made.

Our story

Why we need to change dementia services in Dorset

In Dorset, over 10,000 people are living with dementia and with Dorset’s growing population of older people this is likely to increase.

Our staff are working hard to provide the best care possible for people living with dementia. But things could be better if we developed our dementia services further.

That’s why we launched a review of dementia services. NHS Dorset CCG has been working with people affected by dementia or working in dementia services to look at how we can improve dementia services.

Together, we developed various options and selected a preferred way forward.

We want to make sure that no matter where someone lives in Dorset, if they are diagnosed with dementia they are offered high quality, compassionate care and support throughout their dementia journey and that their family carers also feel informed and supported.

How we developed the options

Working with over 300 people, including people living with dementia and their carers, we used all of the information from the needs analysis and the feedback from the view seeking to develop models for how dementia services in Dorset could be improved.

The participants identified the ideal services and created an initial long list of options. This long list was gradually narrowed down to a short list of options and then one preferred option was agreed.

More information on the ‘design and modelling’ can be found in the Strategic Outline Case.

Our proposals

The preferred option includes

National Dementia Helpline

Signposting to a national dementia helpline for general queries and information.

Dementia Directory and Website

A dementia directory and dementia website providing information on dementia, services and support available in Dorset.

Creating a smoother and quicker diagnostic process by

referring people directly to the Memory Assessment Service from their GP. Advanced Nurse Practitioners, supervised by consultants, would help diagnose less complex cases. The Neuropsychology service would assist with more complex cases.

Offering Cognitive Stimulation Therapy

groups to patients who currently do not benefit from medication and receive no treatment.

Introducing around 32 new Dementia Co-ordinators

including specialist coordinators for people under 65. Co-ordinators would offer support, signpost to a range of community services, and ensure a care plan is in place.

Introducing Dementia Roadshows

to provide information to recently diagnosed people and their family.

Introducing Emotional Wellbeing Workshops for Carers

These sessions would offer education around dementia and help support family carers with managing stress.

Dementia In-Reach Services

The Dementia In-Reach services would be provided across all of Dorset. This service would offer dementia education to care homes and community hospitals, focusing on behaviours that challenge others.

Community Mental Health Teams for Older People

The specialist Community Mental Health Team for Older People would continue to provide support across Dorset. The teams would work closely with the new Dementia Co-ordinators to ensure greater responsiveness when patients are in need of more specialist assistance

Offering a local crisis helpline

to support people when in crisis.

Providing an Intermediate Care Service for Dementia

across the whole of Dorset which supports people in crisis in their own homes.

Aligning the two day hospitals in Weymouth and Poole

to work with the Intermediate Care Service for Dementia to provide a safe daytime environment for those in crisis and where possible enable people to remain in their own homes rather than be admitted to a specialist inpatient unit.

Providing specialist inpatients beds at Alderney Hospital, Poole

to offer specialist shortterm assessment and treatment for highly complex dementia patients.

For more information on our preferred option please read the consultation document.

Watch a short video about the proposals for dementia services in Dorset.

Next steps

Making a decision

Now the public consultation has closed, the responses were analysed by independent experts at Bournemouth University who are working with NHS Dorset CCG.

Reflecting on our consultation engagement

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the Dementia Services Review. Your input and feedback has been invaluable and instrumental in developing dementia services in Dorset.

Reflecting on our consultation engagement

Dementia Services Review – Reflecting on our consultation engagement

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the Dementia Services Review. Your input and feedback has been invaluable and instrumental in developing dementia services in Dorset.

The dementia services review consultation ran for 8 weeks from 17th June 2019 to the 11th August 2019. Find out about the consultation proposals and consultation survey results analysis.

The feedback from the consultation was used to help the CCG’s Governing Body make its final decision on the dementia services review recommendations to improve dementia services in Dorset.

The full business case went to the Governing Body meeting on 13 November 2019. The Governing Body approved the proposals as presented in the business case subject to final investment decisions.

Consultation planning – audience analysis

During the dementia services review consultation planning, a gap analysis was completed. This was to ensure we spoke to groups of people from whom we hadn’t previously heard in our conversations about the dementia services review, and those for whom our equalities data analysis suggests any changes to dementia services may affect.

The dementia services review Needs and Data Analysis and the Equality Impact Analysis (EIA) – dementia services review helped to identify groups of people who we needed to ensure we engaged with.

We also reviewed the demographics for responses to the view-seeking engagement which took place in 2017. This enabled us to identify any gaps in responses from particular groups of people.

In the view-seeking, we received a lower response from people who classed themselves as having a disability and from Black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) individuals. This was something we wanted to improve in the consultation.

Working together – reaching out

The consultation communication’s plan was devised in order to reach out widely across all identified audiences across Dorset’s geography, demography and diversity. Providing information and opportunity for involvement to patients, carers, staff who deliver health and care services, local residents, organisations, diverse communities and groups to help to inform decision-making about what changes are proposed for dementia services in Dorset.

Our partnership with Dorset Race Equality Council (DREC) underpins our engagement with diverse, local communities and community groups. During the dementia consultation we worked with DREC and their health ambassadors to reach out to community groups in Dorset. We attended meetings with community groups to promote the consultation and encourage completion of the questionnaire.

The data needs analysis highlighted that people with developmental disabilities have more than four-times the risk of dementia compared with the general population. People with learning disabilities in Dorset were therefore a key group of people we needed to engage with.

We worked with local learning disabilities groups to produce an Easy Read version of the consultation document, both paper and online. We also produced information in a variety of formats to help reach a wider audience. This included an animation to help explain the proposals.

We visited the Go Forum in Poole to provide them with information about the proposals and to encourage the members to complete the questionnaire.

We received 85 Easy Read consultation responses.

Consultation respondent demographics

Half-way through the consultation, in conjunction with the Market Research Group at Bournemouth University, we conducted a mid-point review of the demographics of responders to help focus our engagement activity for the remainder of the consultation.

There were a total of 503 responses to the consultation, which included 85 Easy Read survey responses.

Following the consultation, we also took time to reflect on the consultation engagement. This included:

The timing of events
The materials produced
The value of working with the voluntary and community groups to reach a wider audience.

This learning helps to inform future engagement.

Final business case and Governing Body

In response to the consultation feedback changes were made to the business case. This included changing the proposed offer of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy so that it would be made available to all people diagnosed with dementia who want to participate in the activity.

The full business case went to the Governing Body meeting on 13 November 2019. The Governing Body approved the proposals as presented in the Business Case subject to final investment decisions.

You can get more information about this work on the dementia review services page.

Implementation

We are pleased to inform you that the new model of care for Dementia Services in Dorset will start to be implemented from 1 April 2021. This follows an unavoidable period of delay due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, when original implementation plans had to be paused.

Dorset HealthCare, with support from Dorset CCG, is now planning to introduce the revised model for Dementia Diagnosis, alongside other improvements to existing dementia services provision as outlined within the Dementia Services Full Business Case. Key to the new model of care is the introduction of Dementia Co-ordinators, who will enhance the post-diagnostic support offer. Dorset HealthCare, as lead provider responsible for delivery of all elements of the new model of care for dementia in Dorset, is currently procuring the new service. The Full Business Case, including the Implementation Plan, is available for your information on both the respective Dorset CCG and Dorset HealthCare websites. Please follow the links below.

https://www.dorsetccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/DSR-Full-Business-Case-v4.1.pdf

We are delighted that from 1 April 2021 local people will have access to new and improved levels of support, both within the diagnostic and post-diagnostic support elements of their dementia care, and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your valued contribution and on-going support throughout the journey of the Dementia Services Review.