New Dementia nurse for Weston General Hospital
North Somerset has appointed a new Admiral Nurse for Weston Area Health NHS Trust (WAHT) at Weston General Hospital. Sarah Oakwood will play a key role in ensuring that people diagnosed with dementia, along with their carers and families, will have the best possible access to support following an admission to hospital.
Admiral Nurses provide specialist support to people with dementia and their carers and families, giving the one-to-one support, practical advice and expert guidance that helps people face dementia with more confidence and less fear.
Sarah joins the hospital with over 20 years of experience in dementia care across a variety of roles. She has led projects, developed new services and piloted new and innovative ways of working. This includes dementia training services in partnership with social care in the community and older adults’ mental health liaison services within primary care and acute hospital trusts.
Having already worked in mental health liaison within Weston General Hospital, Sarah already has an in-depth view of how this particular acute hospital service runs.
I’m immensely proud to be offered this important role within dementia care at the hospital. Becoming an Admiral Nurse is something that I have been passionate about for a while so I’m excited to see how this role will develop. Dementia is a challenging condition and families often do not know where or who they can turn to. To be able to provide tailored emotional and practical support to families in situations like this is very heartening.
Alongside supporting families, Sarah will be supporting best practice in dementia care amongst other healthcare professionals within the hospital. She will be pivotal in ensuring that families are kept involved and informed following the person with dementia’s admission into hospital. This will include building up bases of support following discharge from hospital so that families can continue caring for the person with dementia.
You can read more about Sarah and the new role she is undertaking on the NHS Weston Area Health website
