Admiral Nursing: supporting families affected by dementia within a holistic intermediate care team

Abstract

There are increasing pressures on the health and social care system, particularly within acute hospital care. This has led to significant changes being implemented throughout the NHS England Long Term Plan (2019) , such as moving services closer to home and improving ‘out of hospital’ care. Intermediate care services are being developed to improve timely discharge from hospital and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and premature transfer to residential care. An innovative intermediate care model, inclusive of Admiral Nursing, has been developed within Olympus Care Services to support families living with dementia, implementing an intensive 8-week intervention model. It is essential that intermediate services are accessible for people with dementia, inclusive of the needs of the family, and that they work within the context of integrated and collaborative models of care across traditional organisational boundaries. The aim is not only to improve resilience and quality of life, but also to offer opportunities to promote the narrative of living well with dementia. This service model illustrates how this can be achieved with inclusion of Admiral Nursing working within reablement services.