Nursing care for people with dementia is in need of a radical overhaul, a leading think tank has warned.

The King’s Fund says people with Alzheimer’s and dementia in England are having NHS-funded care withdrawn in the later stages of their illness.

It says relatives have to pick up the bill for additional nursing support.

The government says the number of people receiving continuing care has risen by almost two-thirds in the past three years.

There are 820,000 people living with dementia in the UK and that number is set to rise as the population ages, according to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust.

Social needs

Christophe Grillet, from Cambridge, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 17 years ago, was receiving round-the-clock health care from the NHS at home but as his condition became more advanced, he was reassessed and the continuous care was withdrawn.

His wife Kate said: “They say his needs are primarily social care needs – washing, dressing, feeding and that he’s relatively easy to deal with.

“The country is full of people, including my husband, who are having their support taken away and left to try and fund whatever care they can get themselves.

“This doesn’t take into account when you have Alzheimer’s your health needs are even more, you don’t get better.”

Mrs Grillet said she felt excluded from much of the decision-making regarding his NHS-funded care and now her husband is in a home which costs them £600 a week.

“Because we didn’t get the support we needed, we are separated, and that is the biggest problem,” she added.

The government has issued guidelines to primary care trusts (PCTs) on how they should assess the continuing care needs of people with dementia but campaigners say funding cuts mean many PCTs just ignore them.

Barbara Pointon, from Dementia UK and the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “What’s happening with NHS continuing health care is it’s getting more and more difficult to get in the first place, and when people with dementia move into the advanced stage and need more care, it’s being taken away from them.”

The King’s Fund is calling for a shake-up of the system that differentiates between health care, which the NHS pays for, and social care, which local authorities and individuals have to fund.

Richard Humphries, from the health think tank, told the BBC: “The system is increasingly broken and it will struggle to cope with the rising tide of people with dementia and people will become more dissatisfied with it.

“We desperately need a radical overall to bring more fairness and more funding into the system.”

Jo Webber, from the NHS Confederation, which represents the majority of NHS organisations, said the service did not have an “infinite pot of money”.

“Over the next 30 years the number of people with dementia will double, so we do have to find different ways of delivering services,” she said.

“I don’t underestimate the anxiety and the worry at the moment for people who are having these issues but we can’t go on this way.”

A Department of Health spokesman said continuing health care is a package of care – health and personal care and accommodation costs – arranged and funded solely by the NHS for people who have been assessed as having a primary health need. It can be provided in a range of settings, including care homes or a patient’s home.

He said since the introduction of the national framework for PCTs, the overall number of people receiving NHS-funded continuing care had risen from just under 31,000 at the end of March 2007 to about 51,000 at the end of September.

“The national framework has started to reduce the regional variation in who gets care and there has been an overall increase in the numbers of people in receipt of NHS continuing health care,” he added.

Mr Grillet’s PCT says it followed the government’s guidelines but health care needs change.

.

.

Article Source: BBC News UK

If you follow us on our Facebook Fan page, you may remember that we invited everyone to share a nursing experience that may inspire or even touch someone else’s life. If you have any story to share, feel free to send them at stories stories@nursesnotes.org. Meanwhile, here’s a wonderful message that was made out of true inspiration from Nurse Tina – our first sender from the Philippines.

.

Dear Future Nurse,

.

Good day! First of all, I like to express my warmest appreciation for spending your most valued time reading my letter. It must be pretty hard for you to joggle things up in your hectic schedule, especially now that you are on your way to start on all your Nurse Licensure Examination preparations. It has already been a year when I, with my greatest capacity, got ready for the much awaited NLE. I, too, was in the exact position as you are right now a year ago, filled with all the ambivalence I never imagined I would be experiencing—anxious yet excited, determined yet hesitant. Although the board exam will never be easy getting through with, passing it will always be a great accomplishment! Well, don’t fret. Chill… You can check out some of my B.O.A.R.D. E.X.A.M. tips that you might want to try.

.

B-oard is BROAD
The Nurse Licensure Examination is not the typical exam that you have back in your college years. It’s more like taking an exam of all the things that you studied during the time of your BSN program. Unlike your usual departmentalized exams wherein the ranges of topics are most often predictable, the NLE may contain even the rarest ones that you are least expecting to come out. It would be helpful to take note of the topics that you haven’t encountered yet so that you wouldn’t end up leaving them out. Also, there is a thin line of difference between the topics that you know and that you are ‘familiar’ with for the latter requires a bit more of your mastery. Of course, even if you already have the list of the topics that you already ‘know’ about, it is still very beneficial to allot some time to read or master them once again.

.

O-verconfidence
It’s unhealthy to be morbidly ashamed of one’s abilities. However, you shouldn’t be too confident that you can do everything. You have to recognize that you too have your own weaknesses and that you might need the assistance of other people. Don’t hesitate to raise your concerns. Consult some RNs you know, your previous professors (in case they are amenable with that) or your review instructors. They can provide you much enlightenment on those topics that you find vague or difficult.

.

A-mplify!
Amplify everything in you—friends and family ties, faith in the Almighty, and your will power. Fortification of these can further help you endure all the challenges that you might encounter along the way.

.

R-eadiness
Having been able to prepare your list of review topics and resource materials, you are on your way to proceed with your review per se. Attending classes in review centers are optional. However, if you really feel that you are more comfortable with that type of review strategy then go for it! Most importantly, you have to demonstrate preparedness to what I call your PIES—physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your present status. If you don’t feel like taking the NLE just yet; maybe because of an emotional upheaval or a physical condition of some sort, don’t be afraid to postpone it. You have to create balance within these four major factors of readiness in order for you to proceed in your NLE prep smooth and sound.

.

D-art your target
One thing I learned in Philosophy is that “an action is always driven by a motive”. It might help to remember this equation: MOTIVE=TARGET and that TARGET=PASSING THE NLE. You have to set your goals for they will act as your ‘blueprints’ to your success. We all have our personal reasons in taking and PASSING the NLE. Whatever it is, if it keeps the drive in you, well then GO!

.

E-limination
As our body takes away all the unnecessary entities in it for it to function more effectively, I think it would be reasonable enough to incorporate that ‘dogma’ within your review or NLE preparation period. ELIMINATE everything that might cause distraction.

..

‘X’ notes are worth your glimpse!
The NLE is fast approaching and you want to stop reading or reviewing. Oops, not so fast. If you still have ample time, try to go over your old notes. You might want to welcome the possibility that, maybe, the topics in there might show up. Never lose a chance!

,

A-ddress check!
It’s a week before your board exam. Do your own survey of your testing site in order to know your room number Search the easiest route, prominent landmarks and establishments around. That will surely help!

,

M-ilk before you sleep.
If you have difficulty sleeping, try drinking a warm glass of milk before going to bed. Nothing beats having a complete eight (or make it ten) hours of sleep. Enjoy your slumber for the biggest day of your Nursing Life!

,

I hope these pointers I mentioned will help you in a way or two in your venture towards your board exam. See you on your oath taking my future COLLEAGUE.

.

Lovelots,

Nurse Tina c: