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Larkside Practice

GP surgery providing general medical services to 7000 local patients

Updated:
9 June 2016
Location:
East of England
Local Alliances:
Luton Dementia Action Alliance

1. Action Plan

1. The National Dementia Declaration lists seven outcomes that the DAA are seeking to achieve for people with dementia and their carers. How would you describe your organisation’s role in delivering better outcomes for people with dementia and their carers?

The simplest and most effective way for Larkside Practice to make a difference, is to increase awareness of dementia within all our practice staff via Dementia Friends.

This will allow us to support and provide a better service and easier access to appointments and other general practice services.

2. What are the challenges to delivering these outcomes from the perspective of your organisation?

Ensuring all practice staff are aware of and have received training to be dementia aware

Putting a system in place to easily identify dementia patients & their carers to be able to support them when phoning or arriving at the surgery 

2. Actions

  • Increase dementia awareness with staff and patients

    Plan Dementia Friends awareness sessions to be delivered to practice staff, a one hour session delivered by a local Dementia Champion.

    Register as a Dementia Friendly Organisation  to access online videos which can be used on the practise website https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk,

    Include playing of relevant awareness videos at staff meetings,

    https://www.youtube.com/user/AlzheimersSociety/videos.

    Publicise the Dementia Friends to the PGG via this link

    Use printed posters and leaflets provided by the Alzheimer’s Society from the “Worried about your memory” campaign to support patients to make an appointment with their GP in they have memory concerns.

    Status:
    Being implemented

  • Appointment Management /Reminders to be put on patient computer records/ Use of appointment reminder tool

    Staff are aware that it is difficult for dementia patients to attend early appointments and that they often forget that appointments have been made.

    The surgery always offers later appointments in order to provide a telephone reminder service on the day.

    Clinicians are aware of timing issues for dementia patients and always aim for flexibility with times and length of consultations, for example booking double appointments so more time can be spent on patient care and review.

    Status:
    Being implemented

  • Dementia Friendly Environment

    Review the environment with the dementia friendly environment checklist: http://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/assets/0000/4334/dementia_friendly_environments_checklist.pdf

    Status:
    Investigating

  • Encourage early and accurate diagnosis in primary care, especially in the high risk groups

    Our practice ensures that all patients who are in high risk groups are asked about their memory and offered a screening test if there is any concern. This is followed up by early and appropriate referral to a memory clinic offering expert advice and support.

    Helping you to assess cognition - A practical toolkit for clinicians

    Status:
    Implementation

  • Support for carers of patients with Dementia

    All patients with Dementia have been invited to identify their main carer and we have offered them carer support and encourage emergency care planning. They are also offered a regular health check and annual flu vaccine.

    Status:
    Implementation

  • Ensure that practice staff are able to identify and support patients who have Dementia and care for them with dignity and respect

    Enabling the early identification of a patient with Dementia (an alert on their notes) helps to support them when they phone the surgery or arrive at the surgery for an appointment

    Status:
    Being implemented

  • Promoting discussion on advanced care planning

    Patients with a diagnosis of dementia have a time limited opportunity to make advance care planning decisions both with respect to financial and health and welfare matters.

    In order to empower patients and their carers and family members we will ensure they have the opportunity to discuss the existence of the process to obtain Lasting Powers of Attorneys for both Finance and Health and Welfare.

    Many people are not aware that loved ones and next of kin do not have the legal right to ensure their loved ones wishes are adhered to, we will ensure they are informed about the possibility of creating Advance Decisions and Advance Statements to enable them to documents their futures wishes. 

    Status:
    Being implemented

  • Referrals to Dementia Support Services

    When patients with a diagnosis of dementia or their carers contact the surgery ask them if they would like to be referred to the Luton Alzheimer’s Society for practical and emotional support.

    Once patient consent is given GP practise staff to send the referral to Luton Alzheimer’s Society

    Status:
    Being implemented
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