Line of Duty star Vicky McClure opens new dementia-friendly assessment ward for older people
Nottingham-born TV star Vicky McClure joined Nottingham University Hospital staff today to officially open a brand-new dementia-friendly assessment unit at the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Best known for her roles in Line of Duty and This is England, Vicky has long advocated for dementia awareness, including sharing the story of her grandmother who was diagnosed with the disease, and pulling together Our Dementia Choir as part of a BBC1 documentary.
Therefore, she was delighted to be asked to join 94-year-old patient Stanley Metcalf to cut the ribbon on a new assessment unit which has been specially designed with older people in mind – especially those with dementia.
For Stanley, a retired policeman from Toton, it was a full-circle moment as he had been part of the police detail for Her Majesty the Queen when officially opened the Queen’s Medical Centre in July 1978.
The Our Dementia Choir also sang for the opening and then led a sing-a-long with the patients and staff on the ward, including classics such as ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘Stand By Me’.
The brand-new Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU) has been designed specifically to give our older patients the best experience possible, including being a dementia-friendly space thanks to circadian lighting, carefully selected wall art, colours and flooring, and clocks in every room displaying the day and date.
The construction of the £9.8million unit, funded by a national NHS England grant and built by Newton Construction, will help to improve flow through the hospital, and patients will only spend a maximum of 72 hours on the unit.
Vicky was joined by Our Dementia Choir who sang for the opening and then led singalongs with the patients currently on the GAU ward, including classics such as ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘Stand By Me’.
Vicky said: “As a society, we are so behind with dementia provision and have been for so long, it’s just now that we are starting to put things in place.
By QMC putting a ward in like this is beneficial to the city and the community, but also beneficial for other hospitals to see what is being done so that they can implement it and see what works.
“What seems quite simple to us – the design of the floor, the colour of a door, the circadian lighting, the clocks with the day and date – that makes a huge impact to the experience of dementia patients when they are in hospital.”
The dementia-specific features of the new unit include:
- Bright yellow toilet doors throughout the unit to help patients find them, especially at night.
- A clock in each room which clearly displays the day and the date.
- Special circadian lighting to mimic outside light conditions and help patients maintain a routine.
- Furniture designed to prevent falls.
- Plain flooring to minimise confusion.
- Different coloured walls and soothing murals in each four-bed bay to assist patients with finding their rooms.
- Additional CCTV and security features to prevent confused patients from leaving unnoticed.
Now that the GAU is open, older patients will continue to be admitted to the Emergency Department as normal, and the frailty team based there will do a first assessment of any patients who may be suitable for the unit.
Older patients who cannot be discharged home with community care or seen by the Same Day Emergency Care team, can be welcomed to the new GAU for observations and additional assessment for up to 72 hours while clinicians decide the best treatment for the patient.
The aim is to enable the patient to return to their normal place of residence with support in place, but for those patients who need additional support, they may be transferred to a community bed for rehabilitation or onto a ward for longer care.
Jean Scarrott, 96, from Wollaton, was the first patient to stay on the GAU after a fall at home. She has now been discharged home where she continues to recuperate.
To thank the GAU team for their care and to mark the occasion, Jean has donated two paintings which have been installed in the GAU reception for patients and visitors to enjoy.
The retired Albany Hotel housekeeper said: “My father was an excellent painter, and there was always a piece of paper in front of me when I was young, so that’s how I learned. I mostly do landscapes and have been going to a painting class once a week for the last 20 years – each one takes me about a week to paint.”
Duncan Hanslow, Director of the Reconfiguration Programme, said: “We are delighted to officially open our new Geriatric Assessment Unit, which is perfectly placed within the hospital to help with flow and to give our older patients a better experience.
“The new unit is located close to the Emergency Department, allowing for a smooth transfer, as well as our diagnostic services such as MRI scanners and phlebotomy.
“The location also makes it easier to bring together a multi-disciplinary team of experts, including physiotherapists and dietitians, to determine the best ongoing care for this cohort of patients and return them to their normal lives at home as quickly as possible – which is especially important for our patients with dementia.”
NUH Chief Executive Anthony May, said:
“We were pleased to have been provided the funding from NHS England which has allowed us to build such an important unit in the heart of the QMC. The GAU provides a comfortable environment for patients and will help make a difficult time for many that little bit easier.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this project, including colleagues who secured the funding, colleagues who have relocated throughout the hospital to enable the unit to be built, the reconfiguration team, and all our patient representatives and colleagues from the Healthcare of Older People team who helped design the unit.”