Project Description

Do you work at a hospital that is a member of the Butterfly Scheme?

Please read through the various sections of the website to get a feel of what the Butterfly Scheme is and does. Perhaps you’ve heard of the scheme from staff at a member hospital, or perhaps through the National Dementia Audit Report, or via the RCN website? If you think you’d like the scheme to be adopted by your hospital, what should you do?

The Butterfly Scheme is run as a not-for-profit social enterprise. This means that there is no hard sell! If you think the scheme might be good for your hospital, please ask your line manager to get in touch. Typically, the person to take the scheme forward will be the Dementia Lead or Matron for Elderly Care, so ideally they would be the ones to make contact, but many interested members of staff have previously brought the scheme to the attention of senior staff who have then made the decision to take it forward.

Because this is a whole-hospital scheme, it can’t just be used on individual wards within a hospital. There has to be a whole-hospital decision to adopt the scheme and that decision has to be taken by those who have the authority to do so. A Butterfly Scheme Lead will then liaise with the scheme in order to start the implementation process.

Initially, please email the Butterfly Scheme Coordinator via the contact link on this website. We can arrange a chat and you can be sent further information. Through the scheme’s UK-wide collaborative system, you can also be linked to hospital leads who are already using the scheme.

Staff at Butterfly Scheme hospitals are part of a wide network. We hope you feel valued for your care; certainly, patients and families who benefit from the scheme will be grateful to you. Please liaise with the Butterfly Scheme Champion on your ward or team and let them know how it’s going for you. It’s important to report any difficulties you’re facing, otherwise how can anyone know you need support? Equally, it’s important to share your successes; it’s not showing off – it’s allowing others to learn from your experience and have the same success themselves! Is your Butterfly Scheme Champion extra-special? If so, please let your hospital’s Butterfly Scheme Lead know that – and if you’d like to become a Butterfly Scheme Champion, please mention that to your Butterfly Scheme Lead, too.

Have you attended a Butterfly Scheme workshop, or have you read through the Learning Pack available on your ward or in your team? If you have, why not take the online test? Ask your champion for details of how to do that. It sets a high standard, but if you pass, you get a certificate and that will become part of your records.

We hope you’re thanked every day for the care you give – but in any case, we’d like to thank you now for reaching out to people with dementia or needing memory support.