Dementia beds face axe

Managers at Sheffield Care Trust want to shut wards containing 32 beds in three specialist centres across the city.

Wards at units in Beighton, Nether Edge and in the Longley Centre would close under the proposals.

Money saved would be invested in a 1 million unit and in better support services in the community for patients with complex behavioural problems.

The move follows Government announcements for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, which causes memory loss, physical and mental decline, to receive care at home in familiar surroundings.

Dr Peter Bowie, consultant and clinical director in Old Age Psychiatry at Sheffield Care Trust, said a change is needed to improve care for patients and their carers.

"I think the consultants in the city are reluctant to admit people to hospital because once they go to hospital there is little chance of leaving. But we have very limited services to provide an alternative to hospital," he said. The plan is to develop two rapid response teams, one each for the north and south of the city, which would offer more specialist, intensive dementia care to patients in their own homes and help them to avoid hospital admission.

A specialist dementia in-patient ward, based at Grenoside Grange, would undergo a 1million redesign to provide a better environment to treat people in hospital when required and would contain 24 beds.

Dr Bowie said: "At present only 10 per cent of those with dementia admitted to hospital return home which is disappointing because people do progress much better at home in their own environment.

"The vast majority of carers want to care for their loved ones at home for as long as they can but at the moment they haven't always had the support to be able to do this - the new rapid response teams will provide that help.

"By introducing the seven-day a week rapid response teams we will be reaching three times as many people with complex needs as we do at the moment."

Currently the service has 56 in-patient beds treating 135 people a year with little additional community support.

"We expect that when both teams are fully up and running by summer 2008 over 400 people will be seen in a 12 month period," said Dr Bowie

Dr Bowie said: "We won't need as many beds because more people will be treated in the community but we recognise that hospital care is vital and still very much needed. The specially redesigned dementia unit at Grenoside will provide 24 in-patient beds.

"The new service plan aims to provide people with an informed choice about how they want their loved one to be cared for.

strong>What do you think? Post your comments below. It will mean that each year more people will be treated, fewer will have to be admitted to hospital and more will have control over the care they receive.”

Judith Gregory, manager of the Sheffield branch of the Alzheimer’s Society, said it was too early to comment on the proposals at this stage.

In Sheffield, the estimated number of people with dementia in 2005 was 6,709 of which nearly 4,000 live at home. By 2015 a seven per cent increase in the number of people in Sheffield with dementia is expected.