Pioneering dementia project starts in Sheffield

People living with dementia in the Manor area of Sheffield may spend less time in hospital unnecessarily, as a result of a brand new two-year project between a local charity and a group of GP surgeries.

Age UK Sheffield and six surgeries in the GPA1 Neighbourhood* have been successful in bidding for £160,000 of NHS Charities Together funding, which was distributed in South Yorkshire by Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

The project aims to prevent people living with dementia from unnecessarily being admitted to hospital, whilst supporting dementia patients in hospital to be discharged as soon as possible.

Steve Chu, Chief Executive of Age UK Sheffield, said: “A high number of A&E admissions of people living with dementia are due to falls or issues with eating, drinking or taking medication. Once in hospital, people living with dementia have worse outcomes and are less likely to return to home. By providing specialist support to people within their home environment, and putting community support networks in places, we can improve outcomes for the people affected, and reduce pressure on the NHS.”

Michelle Wilde, Business Manager at the Dovercourt Surgery, added: “The health of people living with dementia is affected by a wide range of non-medical factors. Through this funding, our group of GP surgeries will have some dedicated resources to identify those who are most at risk of an unplanned hospital admission, and work with community partners including Age UK Sheffield to minimise those risks.”

The project will be independently evaluated, to assess the benefits, and inform future decisions about extending the funding, or rolling it out to other parts of Sheffield.

*The GPA1 Neighbourhood comprises the Dovercourt Surgery; Duke Medical Centre; East Bank Medical Centre; Manor and Park Medical Centre; Norfolk Park Medical Practice; and White House Surgery.