Transforming dementia care in an NHS trust.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust was one of nine trusts selected to take part in the RCN development programme transforming dementia care in hospitals during 2013. The programme aimed to improve the experience of care for people with dementia and their carers in hospital. This article outlines a two-day training programme delivered to staff on two pilot wards with a larger cohort of adults with dementia than other wards in Manor Hospital. A range of staff were trained including nurses, clinical support workers and allied health professionals and also, in a bespoke format, housekeepers, porters and security staff. The programme has led to a noticeable cultural change and significantly improved care and management of patients with cognitive impairment and/or dementia on the two pilot wards. As a result, the training programme has been implemented more widely across the hospital.