A team of nurses in West Devon are working to enable patients with dementia to leave hospital as quickly as possible and to be cared for in their own homes.

A study by Dementia UK working at University Hospitals Plymouth and in the community in West Devon are ensuring more people are discharged from hospital within 48 hours of being referred to them.

And they are increasing the number of people being discharged to their own home, reducing the number of hospital readmissions and supporting more care homes to manage people with complex needs

Admiral Nurses also offer continuous specialist support for people caring for loved ones with dementia.

Chrissie Milward works as an Admiral Nurse in around Tavistock in West Devon. The role is a collaboration between NHS Devon, Livewell Southwest and Dementia UK.

She works alongside colleagues in the Tavistock healthy ageing team (a frailty nurse, long-term conditions matron, health care assistant and administrator), she said: “My role is community-focussed. I support people with dementia, but primarily their carers and loved ones.

“I attend memory café sessions and dementia awareness events - I even go to cattle markets to speak to farmers living in very rural areas, to let them know that support is there.”

She shares Dementia UK best practice with her Livewell colleagues supporting people with dementia and carers and care homes. Livewell Southwest works with the NHS to provide mental health care and services that aim to reduce the need for hospital bed-based care.

Chrissie said: “The best part is being able to make a connection with people and being allowed into their lives, hopefully making a difference, at their most vulnerable or challenging times. I am so lucky to be able to be the nurse I have always wanted to be, as the role is truly person-centred and led by the person with dementia and carer/loved one.”

People living with dementia can experience longer hospital stays, delays in leaving hospital, high risk of complications and a decline in their general wellbeing. The role of the Admiral Nurse is to support not only the care of patients, but also the carer, to improve the quality and experience of their eventual transition away from hospital.

Rachel Johnstone, regional account manager at Dementia UK said: “Admiral Nurses providing lifeline to people with dementia and their families.

“One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime - either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both. It can be exhausting and overwhelming, not only for the person with dementia, but also for the people caring for them, and their wider family and friends."

"Unpaid carers are the backbone of dementia care but they need specialist support so that they are not left to cope alone. Admiral Nurses are there when people need them most, providing health advice, offering compassionate emotional and psychological support, and helping families with the most complex needs plan for the future.”