News & Events

Here are a couple of news stories about some revolutionary ways of caring for people in the community and with dementia which we spotted on the BBC News website this week.

The first covers how care homes across Kent are pioneering a new type of dementia therapy using dolls to help support elderly people.

Evidence suggests that encouraging sufferers to care for the dolls can help them cope with the condition and you can view this video story on the BBC News site using the following link Kent care home dolls helping elderly with dementia.

The second story covers a new approach to community care in the Netherlands which means patients need 30 to 40 per cent fewer hours of care.

The teams of district nurses nurses staffing the project each serve a neighbourhood of about 10,000 people and run themselves with no managers.

They're available round-the-clock and - working closely with GPs - organise all the supporting care. To read the story in full please use the following link Dutch district nurses rediscover 'complete care' role.

There are currently just over 42,700 people living with dementia in Wales and it's important to note that the effect on the individual is different in each case.

Much work has taken place in Wales recently to identify the areas that need to be addressed to improve the lives of those with and affected by dementia.

This has led to the creation of the National Dementia Vision for Wales which provides a long-term vision to ensure  Wales can best meet the challenge of an increasing number of people living with dementia across the country.

If you have any questions about WaMH in PC's work with dementia in Wales please contact us via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.

We're pleased to announce details of their forthcoming annual conference which is part of our work to promote primary mental health care issues and improve the profile of mental health services in Wales.

We're delivering this year's conference in conjunction with primhe (Primary Care Mental Health and Education) and it's called ‘The Really Useful Conference’.

The event will be held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Wednesday 9 October later this year and will look at how the well-being of staff and patients can be improved in general practice.

Our target audience is wide ranging but our focus is to bring mental health practitioners and professionals, policy makers, agencies and organisations together so they can work in collaboration.

Our annual conferences provide excellent opportunities for you to network, meet new people, form new alliances and take part in some exciting, thought-provoking and informative plenary sessions and workshops.

We'll be releasing further information about the event over the coming weeks but if you'd like to express an interest in attending please contact Lesley Hills via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.

The RCGP has warned that GPs need extra funding to hit the Government's dementia diagnosis targets and patients must not have early diagnoses ‘forced’ upon them.

In an article for the Pulse website RCGP Chair Professor Clare Gerada said some patients will find it distressing to receive an early diagnosis and should not be cajoled into having assessments.

Her comments followed Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s call to increase ‘shockingly low’ dementia diagnosis rates in England from 45% to 66% by 2015.

The RCGP has backed the Government’s subsequent drive - announced earlier this week - to boost dementia diagnosis rates by 50% and Professor Gerada said: "GPs are committed to improving the care we provide to patients with dementia - and we acknowledge that earlier and more accurate diagnosis can enable people with dementia and their families to make more informed choices and decisions about their future care, whilst they still have the capacity to do so."

GPs have been offered a controversial DES - for dementia case-finding - that will involve practices opportunistically offering an assessment for dementia to ‘at-risk’ patients during routine consultations.

For further details please read the RCGP backs drive to boost dementia rates by 50% news article on the Pulse website.

Dementia is currently an increasingly important issue in Wales as well and there are currently just over 42,700 people living with the condition across the country.

This has recently led to the creation of the National Dementia Vision for Wales which provides a long-term vision to ensure  Wales can best meet the challenge of this increasing number of people living with dementia within our borders.

If you have any questions about WaMH in PC's work with dementia in Wales please contact us via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.