Gardenia & Marsh Farm Practice
We have two surgeries in North Luton at Gardenia Avenue and at the Marsh Farm Medical Centre. The Practice was founded in 1935 at 31 Marsh Road. In 1990 we moved to our premises at 2a Gardenia Avenue which was purpose built. Our aim is to continue to provide the high standard of service and care that has been established from that time. We aim to treat all our patients promptly, courteously and in complete confidence. Our team of receptionists and administration staff are here to help you. Their job is very demanding so please be patient.
- Updated:
- 21 September 2016
- Location:
- East of England
- Sectors:
- Local DAA Members
- 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?
- Our action plan focuses on prevention, and education for all members of the primary health care team.
- Our role is to facilitate timely diagnosis of people with dementia.
- We will focus on the national strategic aims of preventing well, diagnosing well, supporting well and living well.
- We aim to ensure that the care of people with dementia becomes more people-centred.
- In a difficult economic climate we need to make the case clearly for action on dementia to achieve better outcomes in a cost effective way.
2. What are the challenges to delivering these outcomes from the perspective of your organisation?
- Ensuring that there is adequate time, space, and priority given to care of dementia is our biggest challenge.
- Lack of resources including time and staff.
- Workload pressures making continuity and regular follow up difficult to maintain.
- Identifying patients with dementia, ensuring that patients in risk groups are asked about their memory and understand the importance of a screening test if there are concerns.
- Many people are reluctant to be labelled with a mental health diagnosis.
- Ensuring care data is shared appropriately with secondary care colleagues and the CCG.
- Lack of understanding and awareness of dementia amongst non-medically trained staff.
- Limited budget is an obstacle for any major changes required on site.
Member website
www.gardeniasurgery.nhs.uk2. 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, publish links to Alzheimer’s Society YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/user/AlzheimersSociety/videos. Include playing of relevant awareness videos at staff meetings, publicise the Dementia Friends initiative in the practise and encourage staff participation
- Status:
- Being implemented
-
Dementia Friendly Environment
Review the environment with the dementia friendly environment checklist: dementia_friendly_environments_checklist.pdf
- Status:
- Being implemented
-
Encourage early and accurate diagnosis in primary care, especially in the high risk groups
Our practice has signed up to the National Dementia DES and have ensured that all patients who are in the 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:
- Being implemented
-
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 encouraged emergency care planning. They are also offered a regular health check and annual flu vaccine.
- Status:
- Being implemented
-
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
-
Access to Dementia Support Services
Offer patients with a diagnosis of dementia and their carers appointments with a Dementia Support Worker based in an available meeting room within the practise to enable them to have ease of access to emotional and practical support on half a day per month
- Status:
- Being implemented
-
Access to Dementia Support Services
Offer patients with a diagnosis of dementia and their carers appointments with a Dementia Support Worker based in an available meeting room within the practise to enable them to have ease of access to emotional and practical support on half a day per month
- 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
- Status:
- Being implemented