Award joy for Age UK Oldham dementia programme team

The Age UK Oldham team were the winners of the Best Use of Integrated Care and Partnership Working in Patient Safety Award

Age UK Oldham are celebrating their part in the National Dementia Frontrunner programme after its success at this year’s prestigious Health Service Journal Patient Safety Awards.

The National Dementia Frontrunner programme, which Age UK Oldham has played a big role in, has helped to wrap support around people living with dementia at home after they have left hospital or A&E, giving people the best chance of making a recovery, as well as easing pressures on hospitals.

The inclusion of Age UK Oldham’s practical services, carer support and the concentrated daily day care provision for up to three weeks following discharge, has helped secure the success of this programme.

The teams involved in this trailblazing programme are responsible for the creation and implementation of fast and effective solutions aiming to move people quicker from hospital to home after treatment, as well as improve emergency care for people living with dementia.

The project has been funded by NHS England and is led by the Four Localities Partnership, which brings together teams from the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, as well as local councils’ adult social care teams, and voluntary and mental health services across Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Salford.

The team were the winners of the “Best Use of Integrated Care and Partnership Working in Patient Safety Award”, specifically for ‘improving care for people with dementia across an acute hospital discharge pathway’.

The programme also received high commendations for “Quality Improvement Initiative of the Year” and “Improving Care of Older People Initiative of the Year.”

Lindsey Darley, programme director, said: “This well-respected and high-profile platform will give us the chance to showcase our work and hopefully inspire others across the country to introduce similar changes, helping thousands more people.”

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