Developing champions to enhance the care of people with dementia in general hospitals

In NHS Ayrshire and Arran, almost 5500 people have a dementia diagnosis. This could increase by as much as 60% over the next 20 years (Alzheimer Scotland, 2007). National dementia strategies in the U.K. have identified a need for better training that supports staff in general hospitals. While all clinical settings will admit people with dementia, their specialist care needs are not always being met Better awareness will help ensure these are addressed on both admission and throughout their care journey. This is the second article describing a nurse led initiative to improve approaches towards dementia in a general community hospital. The first article (Crabtree and Mack, 2010) focused on raising awareness of dementia, while this follow-up article describes the development and implementation of a dementia champions programme.