A 2015 survey looking at provision of services for younger people with dementia (YPWD) found large variation within the Oxford AHSN region. To address this, the YPWD service in Wokingham developed and ran a two-day training course for other services to enable them to improve services for people with young onset dementia and their carers. Participants attended from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and from inpatient services in Berkshire.
Participants were given the opportunity to plan how services could be introduced in their area. They also have the opportunity to attend three further YPWD day workshops.
This specialist training to provide meaningful age-appropriate activity for young onset dementia, and networking through the post-diagnostic support network, aims to start to address unmet need by increasing staff competency and to promote service provision in areas where there is limited intervention and support.
‘…with great support from the AHSN three members of our team attended the YPWD course that was run by Berkshire in September and they are really motivated and really excited to start bringing an equivalent type of service to Milton Keynes. We’ve got a lot to aspire to because Berkshire has got an absolutely fantastic service running – it’s a brilliant role model for us and our staff are really keen to take that forward.’
Dr Stephanie Oldroyd, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Milton Keynes
‘I think this work has international importance and you should be flying the flag for Great Britain’
Prof Martin Orrell, Chair of the Memory Services National Accreditation Panel, Royal College of Pyschiatrists