Norfolk Trust to Lead the Way in Dementia Care
Norfolk is set to lead the way in the provision of care for those living with dementia following a decision to invest £13.7million in a dementia centre of excellence by its mental health trust.
The investment, the largest made by the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Foundation Trust, acknowledges an ageing population and the rise in need for dementia services. The 36-bed Dementia Intensive Care Unit (DICU) will be built at the Trust’s Julian Hospital site in Norwich and is set to open the winter of 2011/2012.
Trust Chair, Maggie Wheeler said: “We made a promise when we were talking about delivering services to older people in Norfolk, the DICU is about us delivering on this and more”
The DICU will become the core of the Trust’s dementia care service providing expertise, training, care delivery, academic research and reputation and will equip the Trust to be the leaders on world-class dementia care in Norfolk. With the anticipated future financial squeeze on new capital projects the Trust will potentially be several years ahead of other trusts whose plans are not as well advanced.
Care Services Minister, Phil Hope said: “I am pleased to see that Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust are investing in this important new facility. It demonstrates the priority they are giving to dementia care, which the Government fully supports. Improving the quality of care for people with dementia is a crucial part of the Government’s National Dementia Strategy, which we are rolling out across the country.
“I am sure that the Dementia Intensive Care Unit will help people with complex needs access high quality dementia care, whilst improving coordination across the whole care and health system.”
The Trust’s Director of Business Development, Rachel Newson said: “I am very proud to be able to show the local public of Norfolk and Waveney such a solid commitment to ensuring the services we deliver and the environments we deliver them in are aiming for excellence for people of all ages. Norfolk has a particularly high proportion of older adults, which will continue to grow at a very high rate. Planning for this now sees the level of high quality services for Norfolk people secured for many years to come.”
The DICU is the second major investment in providing state-of-the-art mental health treatment facilities in recent years. In May 2009 the Trust opened Justin Gardner House at its Hellesdon Hospital site housing a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and Low Secure Unit. The building design is based on a spa for enhanced care and wellbeing and described as: “The best in the country” by leading psychiatrist Dr Patrick O’Brien.
