Excellent news from:
‘Dementia diagnosis in Cumbria now four times faster thanks to ‘virtual clinics’
‘New virtual clinics in the Memory Matters team at Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust means patients suspected of having dementia are able to be diagnosed four times faster than before.
This is because the whole referral to diagnosis process has been streamlined.
David Storm Senior Clinical Services Manager explained: “Staff in the Memory Matters team at Carleton Clinic Carlisle have been piloting Virtual Clinics since early in 2015. There have been radical changes in how the team works. Previously patients who were referred to the team by their GPs went through a long diagnosis process which included being seen initially by a mental health nurse for assessment, tests and brain scans requested, then sometimes a substantial wait for a follow up 45 minute appointment with a Psychiatrist.
In the Virtual Clinics new referrals are screened, the patient is then seen for a full assessment by a nurse including elements previously done by a Psychiatrist. A brain scan is then requested, together with other assessments with the person and their family. The ‘virtual’ part is next; the nurse will present the case – without the patient, to the Psychiatrist and Memory Matters team, so all the experts needed are in the same room. An in-depth discussion is held which takes into account the patient, their family and carers, as well as all the assessment results. A diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan is made based on the information at hand. The diagnosis is usually given to the patient by the same nurse they have seen at the initial assessment which makes the patient feel more comfortable.
Virtual Clinics have now been rolled out across Cumbria. The new diagnosis process means that the patient is being seen by less people and the process is speeded up. This is incredibly important considering the increasing numbers of people with dementia in the county; the number of people being referred for diagnosis has nearly doubled in the last year*.
Dr Darren Reynolds Consultant Psychiatrist said” More patients are seen in much less time. Nurses carry out high level assessments, share knowledge and there is a much better outcome for the patient”.
Helen Todd, Senior Nurse in the community mental health team said: “The Memory Matters team continually challenge themselves on how they can keep improving and what they can do better. Referrals have increased by almost 200% in the past 12 months and a diagnosis is now given 4 x quicker than previously. There is a much better use of resources within the team and no there was no need to recruit any extra staff so we are far more efficient. Now there are no waiting lists and patients are seen within 15 days. Also because of the team’s #seethePERSON project, which focusses on the person behind the illness – all people referred are seen from their perspective, placing Dementia into the context of their life as a whole and focussing on improving quality life, not just the symptoms which benefits both patients and families”.
Feedback from GPs is very positive. Some comments were “Great idea, no negatives from me!” “It has been great – patients seen quickly, tested and given a management plan.” “I think it’s working well. Same nurse equals consistent assessments. We couldn’t get this detail in primary care without investing lots of time. Allows Consultants to see the more complex”.
Footnote. The above article is another example of the Academy sharing Fabulous Stuff.
Yesterday: I caught up with some good folk from Navigo to thank them for their support over the years. Just by chance, I had the good fortune of catching up with a Crisis Worker who asked me if I remembered him. At first, I confused him with another member of staff, then I recalled some advice he gave me that was fundamental to moving on from depressive episodes: ‘never go to bed without having plans for the next day’. Anyone who has ever had depression will know how scary it is to wake up in the morning and have no idea how you are going to fill your day!
I also made good progress on a number of domestic issues that have been hanging around for a while. Hopefully, this will mean that I’m a little more relaxed when Maureen comes home from Ashgrove Care Home on Monday afternoon.
This morning: After another early start to the day, I have already taken in both the Fureys and the Highwaymen in concert and will be leaving shortly to join the early birds at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre
This morning I have used helium to distract and redirect Maureen. Half an hour into her birthday she was crying that she wanted her mum. I tried to console her for a while before encouraging her to seek further sleep.
Yesterday the weather prevented me from responding to my mum’s inevitable plea: ‘have you come to take me out?’ As plans for the ‘Great Escape’ were being formulated the heavens opened and the rain stopped play. When I returned in the afternoon for a second strike mum was fast asleep in an armchair in the lounge of her Care Home, so I left her to rest.
