LDAA MEETING

DISCUSSIONS/ACTIONS

13thJULY2015

10:00 – 11:30

Town Hall, Committee Room 2

Item / Action
1. / Attendance :
Maria Collins / Home Instead / Chair
Kimberly Radford / LBC
Rose Winter / LBC
Colette McKeaveney / Luton Age Concern
Elaine Fountain / Carer
Victoria Doyle / NHS England
Jaki Whittred / Beds Police
Gail Robinson / ELFT
Diane Walsh / LBC
Claire Stockwell Lance / Alzheimer’s Society
Joshua Pearce / Alzheimer’s Society
Dave Barratt / South Beds Dial a Ride
Emma Hare / POhWER
Patricia Jennings / LBC
Fiona Marriott / Luton Culture
Val & Bernard Conroy / Carer / PLWD
Jeff Moore / Alzheimer’s Society
TinotendaChirewa / Public Heath (East of England)
Apologies:Helen Ryder – Carer and Volunteer, Pam Garraway – LBC, Matt Corder – Active Luton, Simon Barker – Beds fire, Pete Buckingham – Beds fire, Clare Warren – ELFT, Yvonne Weldon – L&D, Gill Kuspert – Singing Café.
Note-taker : Rose Winter
2. / Victoria Doyle – NHS England – Update

Strategic Clinical Networks - what are they? The Strategic Clinical Networks are hosted by NHS England. Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs) are non-statutory bodies.However, they are able and, indeed, charged with adopting whole system approaches to healthcare design, working with both commissioners to reduce service variations as well as with providers across complex pathways of care.Each network has a clinical director, a network lead, and a network project team. The work for each network is driven by a strategic clinical leadership group chaired by the clinical director. Initial work to determine priority areas for each network is already underway, and will develop further as the networks mature.

Linking clinical provision and commissioning SCNs provide the opportunity to focus on identified health issues from a broad strategic perspective.They will help commissioners reduce unwarranted variation in services and will encourage innovation to delivery effective change to services where required across the capital.Through greater collaboration between providers across different levels of the system, networks offer the ability to develop best value care pathways with long lasting improvements in quality. SCNs will help to develop these for use across all settings of care (community, primary, secondary, tertiary care) in the capital.

SCNs are currently creating the infrastructure to create this change. Once in place, the SCNs can ensure that evidence based clinical decisions link with local commissioning intentions.
Specifically the work we are doing in the SCN on dementia in the East of England is around improving the dementia diagnosis rate, improving the memory assessment clinics and supporting dementia friendly communities. To this end we have been running local and regional events on improving dementia diagnosis rates by Professor Alistair Burns but alongside this we have brought in local speakers to show case some of the work they are doing from managing challenging behaviours, reablement, prevention, memory assessment models and a dementia village. These events are likely to continue through 2015/16.
We have been working closely with the assurance teams in NHS England to help CCGs to strengthen their plans on dementia. We provide ongoing support to CCGs to enable them to improve services for people with dementia including providing best practice examples and educational events. Recently we have held three webexs for CCG clinical and commissioning leads around dementia diagnosis, memory assessment and diagnosis in care homes which have been very well received.
In March 2015 we launched the primary care mental health and dementia programme which runs for 6 months. Through this programme we have been supporting four projects on dementia (including one from Luton) and two on mental health. These projects aim to transform the care for people locally. The projects will be showcased at an event on the 24th September.
In October 2014 we launched a coproduction programme with the National Development Team for Inclusion. The programme is supporting three in depth CCG led sites, one of which is Luton who are working on supporting carers of people with dementia. The other two are looking at community asset based modelling for people with a mental health condition and improving the care of people living with a progressive neurological condition. A further three teams are being supported through and action learning set. Their projects include a rare neuro disease pathway (from Luton), a mental health strategy and annual health checks for people with a learning disability. These projects are being evaluated by NDTi and will complete in March 2016. The results of the project will be showcased next year.
We are keen to link into the work going on around dementia friendly communities and support this where appropriate.
3. / DW Action
This is to be brought forward – Could Luton become a specialist dementia town? Diane to contact Chris Bradley and find out more information. / DW
4. / LDAA Recruitment
This has not yet been successful but three candidates have been shortlisted for interviews. This is for a 1 year long part time post as project worker for Alzheimer’s. Their main role will be to support the Action Alliance and move forward by raising awareness and recruiting new members.
5. / Network of Champions
RW to gather a list of Champions within the LDAA. / RW
6. / Update
An Update from the LDAA is due to be arranged at the Older Persons Partnership Board OPPB. / KR / RW
7. / Dementia Conference
Please hold the date for the 11th of November it will be at Venue 360 and the Keynote Speaker is Gina Shaw.
8. / Library – Dementia Books
On 5th March Luton Libraries launched their new Reading Well Books on Prescription for Dementia scheme. This is part of a national scheme to support people living with dementia and those caring for them.
The scheme centres around a collection of books offering self-help advice and information, practical support and personal stories. The books have been recommended by health professionals and have been tried and tested by people with experience of dementia. The collections are available free of charge at libraries across the UK, as part of the national scheme.
The launch at Luton Central Library was open to families living with dementia, as well as health and social care professionals. It featured a talk from Kim Radford about dementia friendly communities, while Connie Sharp from the Alzheimer’s Society spoke about the services available to people. The launch finished with a vibrant musical demonstration from the group at Music 24, who offer music therapy for people living with dementia and their carers.
9. / Colette McKeaveney – Luton Age Concern
The local dementia guide will be ready in the next few weeks.
Collette questioned how we can engage with people who cannot attend this meeting?
10. / Val Conroy
Val informed the group that Bernard has a social prescription allowing him to have 30 sessions at the gym. GPs however do not see the link between dementia, activities and wellbeing – awareness needs to be raised.
Can there be a conversation started with the LCCG around getting this information to GPs? Perhaps link in public health and Anthea Robinson.
Is there a business recruitment leaflet? Can hard copies be circulated please?
Val is interested in trying to get sponsorship for Luton to have an Admiral Nurse – She will be approaching Vauxhall and Easy Jet.
Answer - Admiral nurses are very expensive and it was thought that Luton would be better off having a blanket approach and have a dementia specialist nurse at the L&D who trains all staff in dementia awareness. This decision was made four years ago.
Val has close links to Cardinal Newman School and offered to try to sign them up after the summer break. / KR
RW/KR
11. / Jeff Moore – The Alzheimer’s Society
Perhaps Vauxhall and Easy Jet should be approached to join the LDAA as they are our two biggest employers and need to consider the health of their workforce.
12. / LDAA Action Plan & Milestones
This was briefly looked at, an update for the Mile-stones to date will be requested by Rose. / RW

13. / Updates
  • Kimberly Radford – We have the upcoming Dementia Conference to look forward to, transport – drivers and escorts are now all having dementia awareness training. I have delivered a session to the Fire Brigade recently and they now have two people booked in for champion training.
  • The Alzheimer’s Society –They are still in the recruiting process, there has been a 2015 report released around diagnosis
  • Diane Walsh – An action within the coproduction project is to encourage more Asian carers.
  • Fiona Marriott – Luton Culture – We are providing books on prescription a list of dementia books suitable for family and carers. We are working with Music 24 with music therapy. On Mondays we hold an activity / games session in the library for children and their grandparents (with dementia or not).
  • Collette McKeaveney – Luton Age Concern –We have been working with distraction therapy for care homes and for people living at home, using things like locks, keys, bolts bells and soft fabrics. These are made by our shop staff using donated items.
  • Gail Robinson – ELFT – We have been getting volunteers to knit fiddle cuffs which also are a method of distraction therapy. We have a new consultant – Gabrielle Fayre, we have also recently moved the Crystal Ward to another location.
  • Dave Barratt – South Beds Dial a Ride – We have started transporting passengers with dementia issues, I am writing our action plan to become a member of the LDAA.
  • Jaki Whittred – Beds Police – We are in the process of having an organisational restructure, we will be rolling out dementia friends sessions once this is complete. To aid Mental Health crisis we are developing a street triage to make rounded professional decisions, find lost people and generally aid public / community safety. They will be very proactive regularly visiting care homes to engage with individuals gathering details such as photos, old addresses and favourite places. This is a pilot within Luton but if successful will be rolled out nationally. Ruth Connelly is to get an Alzheimer’s community award for this work.
  • TinotendaChirewa – Public Health – I am just trying to get an understanding of what is happening locally by attending lots of meetings.
  • Victoria Doyle – We are working with dementia partnerships.

14. / Any Other Business:
  • CM – Many people avoid early diagnosis as they think they will be disqualified from driving and don’t want to lose their independence.
  • VC – I am interested in information on assistive technology (such as a GPS watch) the telecare service exists but can the library maybe host a day to display what is available?
  • KR – The Co-Production project has just completed training to do questionnaires. The questions are: What are you finding the most difficult? And What would make your life better?.
  • A meeting to be arranged with the Communications Team to raise the awareness of the LDAA
/ RW
15. / Date and Time of next meeting: 30th November 10:00 to 11:30 Town Hall, Committee Room 2

Circulation: LDAA

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