Wednesday 27 October 2021
Congratulations to Michael Curtis, trainee advanced clinical practitioner (ACP), Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust older people’s service in Easington, County Durham on winning the Patient Experience Transformer of Tomorrow award at the Patient Experience Network National Awards 2021.
The Patient Experience Network National Awards (PENNA) celebrate the delivery of outstanding patient experience by those involved in the health and social care industry.
Michael was nominated for the Dementia Friendly Village project that was created when he was tasked to find a way of engaging primary care colleagues and the local community as part of his ACP apprenticeship at Sunderland University.
In a dementia-friendly community people are aware of and understand dementia so that those with dementia can continue to live well, in the way they want to and in the community they choose.
Growing up in Blackhall Colliery, a socioeconomically deprived community where residents place a high degree of trust in their local GP, still hold some stigma towards mental health services and living with a family member diagnosed with mixed dementia, Michael said: “I had lived experience of receiving and facilitating services and wanted to bring the community together so people with dementia are understood, respected and supported.
“I attended a GP practice meeting and expressed my vision of building dementia hubs in unison with primary care. I demonstrated what could be achieved and a GP pilot was set up to engage local GP leads and their federations to grow dementia hubs to offer memory assessment, investigations, diagnosis, treatment, reviews, carers education and signposting all under one roof.
“Close working relationships were formed with the community centre, local schools and shops, the library and services such as the Alzheimer’s Society to expand the project, breakdown mental health stigma and support people to keep active, involved and valued.
“So, what began small eventually grew and grew into Blackhall Colliery working towards becoming the first dementia friendly village in the north east. This meant those with dementia and their carers felt part of the community, they could live in a way they wanted and didn’t feel lonely, cut off from society and kept active and valued
People affected by dementia have the most important role in any dementia-friendly community. By sharing their experiences and connecting with others, they make sure that communities keep the needs of people affected by dementia at the heart of everything they do.
PENNA said: ‘We were delighted to see such a valuable project from Michael Curtis entered into the Patient Experience Network National Awards 2021. In what has been such a difficult year for all our health and social care colleagues, it is wonderful to know that the patient experience has still been such an important focus for so many. We want to congratulate Michael and Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust on their success as winner of the Patient Experience Network 2021 Transformer of Tomorrow award.’
You can find out more about what’s happening in your area and how you can be involved in dementia-friendly communities on the Dementia Friends website where you can find a list of recognised communities.
