The Samuel Johnson Community Hospital
The Samuel Johnson Community Hospital

An “overwhelming response” has been received following a call for staff at Lichfield hospital to sign up for a scheme to support dementia patients.

More than 30 staff across the Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have completed their training following a call from David Cameron for every hospital ward to have a ‘dementia champion’.

The Samuel Johnson Community Hospital
The Samuel Johnson Community Hospital

Another 36 people – including doctors, nurses, student nurses, porters and healthcare assistants – will be trained in early 2014.

Alison Haynes has been named as the Trust’s dementia nurse expert and she revealed that there had been an “overwhelming response” to the call for staff to get involved at the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital.

She added: “It was not just from staff from a clinical background who wanted to be involved – there was interest from just about every area including porters and receptionists

“A large part of the champion’s role is to engage with carers and family members about how best to look after patients with dementia.

“We also have a ‘This Is Me’ leaflet on the wards which includes information about the patient’s likes and dislikes, what their nickname is, and other details to help staff understand more about the patient’s needs if they have difficulty communicating.”

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.