STAFF at Southend Hospital are being trained to become dementia champions to work with patients.

To ensure staff in all areas are well-equipped to meet the needs of more patients with dementia, the hospital has launched a training course to develop dementia champions.

Dementia clinical nurse specialist Christine Timms has long dreamed of having champions to take a special interest in the growing number of patients with dementia.

She said: “They come in with a wide range of conditions, so could be in any ward in the hospital.

“That’s why we feel it is so vital staff from all different areas are aware of the special difficulties this group of patients may have.”

Staff must attend a two-hour dementia core training session, as well as a conflict resolution course. They will provide education and information for patients and carers, ensure other staff in their department are aware of the particular needs of dementia patients, and liaise with the hospital’s memory service, as well as local support services.

Christine added: “The hospital can be unfamiliar, noisy and bustling for any patient. But for those with dementia, this can all add to their confusion and feeling of disorientation.

“We are so pleased to have recruited and trained these champions, who will be able to make a real difference for this vulnerable group of patients and their families.”