As you may imagine, once the Butterfly Scheme has been launched at any organisation, I remain in contact with the Lead at that organisation in order to provide any ongoing support that’s needed. Mostly, ongoing leadership is robust and I only wish people in general could witness the passionate dedication of so many wonderful leaders.
It concerns me when I discover that staffing changes have left a leadership gap. Often, it happens because a job can’t be advertised until the incumbent has officially left the role; the time from that day until the appointment of a new Lead can be months. What’s important, though, is that provision is made for someone to oversee dementia care as a whole during that time. Where gaps occur, devoted staff will often try their best, under their own steam, to ensure standards are maintained, but these staff already have full-time roles and dementia care really does need overall leadership.
Imagine saying that nobody’s leading cancer care at the moment, or perhaps paediatric care! Just think of the outcry! We should be equally concerned if dementia care has no overall leadership for weeks, or even months, at an organisation.
I came across a devoted nurse recently who was unable to attend some free refresher training I was offering, even though she really wanted to, because she was currently the only person left in the dementia care leadership team; all the other staff had moved roles and there was still no sign of replacements. Imagine the pressure she’s working under!
Our expectations really do need to remain high. Dementia care is massively important; if we don’t get it right in our hospitals, patients are likely to experience an extended length of stay, whilst pressure on their usual carers can be hugely increased. I always suggest that carers who have concerns ask to speak to the Dementia Lead at their local hospital. If carers are told there is currently no Dementia Lead, I suggest they ask to speak instead to the Chief Nurse.
Appropriate support for people living with dementia and their carers is needed not just by those two groups, but by the whole hospital team. Thank you to all hospitals which ensure that this care is delivered – and thank you to those fabulous members of staff who go that extra mile to provide it.