Dementia Support

Barnsley Hospital’s mission is to provide the best possible care for the people of Barnsley and beyond at all stages of their life. 

As part of this mission, we aim to integrate dementia awareness and support into all physical health services; this will ensure that we care for and treat the ‘whole’ person. 

A nurse guides two people who are older than 50 through an exercise routine

Dementia Care Strategy  

The Hospital has a Dementia Care Strategy in place.  

Our Dementia Care Strategy is aligned to our overall Trust strategy as it supports delivery of our values and strategic objectives and underpinning strategies such as; the clinical strategy, the people strategy, and the quality strategy. 

The Dementia Care Strategy has eight standards based upon the Dementia Assessment and Improvement Framework (NHS Improvement 2017). 

  1. Diagnosis 
  2. Person-centred Care 
  3. Patient and carer information and support 
  4. Involvement and co-design 
  5. Workforce education and training 
  6. Leadership 
  7. Environment 
  8. Nutrition and Hydration 

Information for people living with dementia in Barnsley

Dementia Friendly Barnsley is a website where you can find information about support and services for people living with dementia in Barnsley, as well as information about dementia friendly events and activities, locally. 

On-site care and support

Over 40% of carers recently surveyed told us they had missed at least one hospital appointment for their own healthcare needs, due to their caring responsibilities.

Our Patient Experience and Voluntary Services team have worked together with our Learning Disability and Dementia teams to ensure that on-site care and support can be provided to those who need it whilst their carer is attending an appointment at Barnsley Hospital.

For more information and support contact the Patient Experience team on: 01226 434922

The Butterfly Scheme

Barnsley Hospital uses “the Butterfly Scheme” to assist in the care of patients with possible or confirmed dementia.  

The scheme was created by a carer who consulted with people with early-stage dementia, carers and healthcare professionals, over a 2-year period.  

The Butterfly Scheme consists of: 

At-a-glance discreet identification via the Butterfly symbol is available for hospital patients who have dementia-related memory impairment and wish staff to be aware of it 

All staff who interact with patients are trained to offer a specific five-point targeted response 

The Butterfly alerts all staff to the existence of an easy-to-use carer sheet 

In addition, all Barnsley Hospital staff receive training at appropriate depth to their role, on the Butterfly Scheme.  

More information on the Butterfly Scheme can be found on their website.  

John's Campaign

John’s Campaign was founded in November 2014 by Nicci Gerrard and Julia Jones. Behind its simple statement of purpose lies the belief that carers should not just be allowed in hospitals but should be welcomed, and that collaboration between the patients and all connected with them is crucial to their health and their well-being. 

The Trust’s vision is to welcome the patient’s family and carers as our partners in care. We want to ensure that we deliver person centred care. That centres autonomy, considers a holistic approach to caring for people with dementia & includes their family, friends and carers. 

We recognise the important role that family, friends and carers can play in helping to improve patients’ wellbeing and experience. All our adult inpatient wards are open between 11am and 8pm. We welcome carers as our partners in care, encouraging flexible visiting for patients with dementia. 

Jackie Murphy, Director of Nursing and Quality at Barnsley Hospital, ‘It is vital that whilst people are patients in our Hospital we provide care in partnership with families and loved ones; after all they know the holistic needs of the person best. They will guide us to ensure we deliver the highest quality person centred care.’   

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  • Page last reviewed: 23 April 2024
  • Next review due: 19 April 2026