Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust has launched John’s Campaign as part of its plans to improve patient experience and make the Trust more dementia friendly.

Carers of patients with dementia can now visit their loved ones at the Care Trust’s award winning Dementia Assessment Unit (DAU) at agreed visiting times to offer extra support and make them feel more at ease.

John’s Campaign was launched in November 2014 by London based carer Nicci Gerrard after the death of her father, Dr John Gerrard, who had been living with dementia and declined rapidly after a stay in a hospital where visiting times for carers were restricted.

The national campaign aims to give carers of people with dementia the right to stay with them in hospital, unrestricted by visiting hours, in the same way that parents can with poorly children in hospital.

Chris North, Dementia Lead at the Care Trust, said: “It’s carers who know all the small things about a patient which can ultimately make such a big difference to the quality of their care from knowing what they find calming to what they do and don’t like to eat.

“We already have a number of programmes in place to support patients with dementia. Through backing this important campaign it helps us to put in place additional steps towards improving peoples’ experiences whilst in our care.”

The Care Trust’s Dementia Assessment Unit provides 24 hour care to support the health and well-being of people with dementia. As part of the campaign, carers of dementia patients at the DAU are now invited to ask for a ‘Carers Passport’. This entitles them to visit outside of normal visiting hours and identifies their agreed individual needs in supporting their loved ones.

Allison Bingham, Deputy Director of Specialist In-Patient Services at the Care Trust, added: “We value the important role of carers in supporting their loved ones. Our staff have full training in how to support patients with dementia but we have the utmost respect for carers as experts in the care of individuals. By using the Carers Passports we can help to support carers continue to care for their relative or friend as much as they wish.”

To find out more about John’s Campaign. 

To find out more about Johns Campaign please visit the John’s Campaign website

ENDS