I was shocked to realise it's been a month since I wrote my
BLOG. My life has rushed by, what with my son’s rugby, GCSE and A level prep
for my kids and 14 hour work days. But for my Father life is slow, waiting for
each day to end so that another can start. The times where my father, as a carer,
can now see pleasure in my mum or can sit holding her hand, her head resting on
his shoulder is fast diminishing and instead appears to revolve around washes,
feeding and something few people are brave enough to discuss - incontinence. And
yet the love and compassion he shows is awe inspiring.
I haven't visited for a while - I must put this tight
because although a daily phone call can lift spirits imagine then the impact of
time.
Some good news is that on one side of the patch my idea
around specialists supporting generalists to keep people at home has been
embraced and taken forward in partnership with the commissioners. We are in the
final stages of designing two new roles working specifically within community nursing
specialising in dementia. The first year will be developmental and provide us with
the information and knowledge we need to consider the way forward as well as ascertain
the real need. I am pleased that Richmond who have also embraced the dementia alliance
agenda have decided that whilst the additional funding is labelled mental health-
they have had the foresight to use this money in health. Dementia, whilst it could
be argued is mental health, in my humble opinion fits better in health. The
majority of people require help and support in the post diagnosis stage and not
at the end stages where mental health behaviours and needs are prominent. If we
get it right we can help prevent unnecessary admissions or urgent admissions.
Where the funding sits is immaterial – it’s how we work together across health
and social care to meet people’s needs that’s the point. By using it in health-
we can ensure the majority of patients our community nurses are caring for-
those people with co morbidities, ageing demographic and complex needs don’t have
to wait until they require referrals into mental health services for their dementia
before they get help. We can work with our mental health colleagues, voluntary
and independent sector in partnership to ensure that the person remains at the
centre. This could be very exciting and quite an innovative approach.
On the other side of my patch I continue to chase up the idea
I gave. I don’t mind where it sits or who leads- but I do want to see it realized.
There are so many people out there where just a little extra support would give
them the confidence and support they need to keep going- enjoying the good times
and coping easier with the bad.
The Florence Nightingale Scholarship has enabled me to use
the prominence and reputation of the Trusts to contact and work with people I wouldn’t
usually and I have discovered some excellent champions and passionate advocates
along the way. Don’t think that I don’t give the same level of enthusiasm and energy
to all my patients- because I do. This has however given me the opportunity to
try and give back some innovation and leadership to the frontline clinical champions
in an area they truly understand in the same way as the Dragon’s Den has done
with our fantastic school nurses. We simply
cannot give in or accept the status quo – the people we serve, the people who
have given us their lives and experience for so many years- deserve this emphasis
and commitment and I for one will continue to fight their corner.
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