As many of you will know, the Scheme remains in ongoing contact with all member trusts and, as part of that, holds regional meetings from time to time with Butterfly Scheme Leads and other team members. As well as facilitating the flow of ideas and information between the Scheme and the teams across the UK, these meetings allow Leads to share ideas with one another; the meetings are always very productive and much-enjoyed by all.
In September, the first Northern Ireland Butterfly Scheme Collaborative meeting took place and every NI member trust sent at least one representative; DSDC NI, which has been so supportive of the Scheme, was also represented. A key theme was the importance of leadership; members were able to share some wonderful success stories, all of which stemmed from excellent local leadership. The question of how we lead hospital dementia care forward with consistency must remain a key theme across the UK.