A spotlight on Spire Parkway Hospital’s efforts to ensure care is accessible to all during World Alzheimer’s Month

Spire Parkway Hospital is working to end the difficulties that patients with dementia face when accessing healthcare for non-dementia related conditions. Colleagues at the Solihull-based hospital believe clear communication and personalised care in a suitable environment leads to faster diagnoses, safer treatment pathways and quicker recovery times for non-dementia related conditions.

Pictured: Spire Parkway Hospital representing over 150 of their Dementia Friends

Undergoing diagnostic tests through large machines such as a CT or MRI scanner or staying overnight in an unfamiliar environment following a surgery can be daunting for many people but can be especially confusing or scary for people living with dementia – including Alzheimer’s disease.

Spire Parkway Hospital aims to ease the barriers people living with dementia face when accessing healthcare for non-dementia conditions by putting patient experience at the forefront of their efforts. From the initial call to schedule an appointment, right through to the day of post-operative discharge, patients living with dementia and their families can feel supported through their entire recovery journey thanks to Spire Parkway Hospitals' 150 clinical and non-clinical Dementia Friends – helping to ensure patients with dementia and their families are met with a supportive road to recovery.

Steps taken to support patients include clinical, reception and administration teams communicating information in way that each individual patient can understand, such as using picture cards to explain processes, and scheduling longer appointments during quieter times of the day to minimise distractions.

Once a patient with dementia receives a non-dementia related diagnosis at the Solihull-based hospital, the personalised approach to their care continues throughout their entire treatment journey.

Ensuring patients feel safe is important, so families and carers of patients at the hospital are involved as much as possible throughout the patient’s journey. This includes allowing family members to stay in a double room with the patient for the entirety of their admission and for as long as they are staying on the ward, and open visiting hours are provided so family members can drop in at any time to visit – in line with John’s Campaign. The hospital also provides a planned discharge, so families can ensure everything is ready at home to support the patient’s post-operative recovery journey. In addition to this, for those patients who require surgical admission at Spire Parkway Hospital, their chefs are on hand to provide personalised lunch and dinner options to suit each individual’s specific needs.

Following a recent £600,000 investment, Spire Parkway Hospital has also recently installed a new CT suite, which includes distract views on the ceiling and ambient LED lighting in the room – providing a calming and relaxing experience for its patients with dementia.

Pictured: The CT scanner at Spire Parkway Hospital featuring ambient lighting and distract views

Back in 2015, Spire Parkway Hospital won an Exemplar award for outstanding service in dementia care and the hospital teams have continued to update processes and facilities to meet the needs of their patients living with dementia, as well as supporting the families of those coming into the hospital.

Pictured: Diana Heinrich, Dementia Lead at Spire Parkway Hospital

Nilpa Odedra, CT Lead at Spire Parkway Hospital, commented: “When a patient living with dementia attends our hospital for a diagnostic scan, we have a handful of ways we cater to their needs, including booking longer appointment times and using pictures to explain the scanning process. We are also proud to have recently installed a new state-of-the-art CT scanner, which can take images much quicker than before, and has ambient lighting and picture tiles to help calm – meaning patients with cognitive impairments, like dementia, are more comfortable.”

Diana Heinrich, Occupational Therapist and Dementia Lead at Spire Parkway Hospital, said: “When communicating with patients who are living with dementia, we understand the importance of communicating test results or diagnoses in a way that works best for each and every patient. Prior to a patient with dementia accessing our services, we complete an assessment to ensure we can personalise our approach – this includes taking into account stressors, etc. It’s so important to us to have a personalised treatment plan to every patient we see here.”

Emily Montgomery, Hospital Director at Spire Parkway Hospital, added: “Ensuring healthcare is accessible and safe for patients living with conditions, such as dementia, is a belief we all share at Spire Parkway Hospital. It’s incredibly important that everyone has access to a swift diagnosis, and personalised treatment, no matter the circumstances. Breaking down the barriers to care is vital to ensure patient safety.”