East of England Ambulance Service launches new dementia strategy

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) says it will develop a skilled and effective workforce able to champion compassionate person-centred care and recognise the early signs of dementia.

And it has pledged to become a dementia-friendly organisation.

The strategy was launched at the latest Board meeting in public on Wednesday, by one of the service’s area clinical leads Duncan Moore, with support from the Alzheimer’s Society.

It’s been implemented to support the Government’s National Dementia Strategy to ensure all people living with dementia and their carers should live well with dementia.

The work over three years will be done in partnership with charities and health and social care statutory dementia care providers, as well as clinical commissioning groups and voluntary organisations.

Duncan said the collaborations will aid and support the work and contribute to improving the health and outcomes of those with dementia, and their carers: “Dementia is one of the greatest challenges facing our ageing society – there are more than 82,500 people in the East of England living with a diagnosis of dementia.

“Our patient transport services routinely work with people living with dementia, and of course we have to make emergency responses in the community to affected families and individuals so in our capacity as an ambulance service and seeing people living with dementia every single day we needed to put it at the centre of our work.”