Today, Bupa and Dementia UK, the charity that accredits and trains specialist dementia Admiral Nurses, have announced a major strategic partnership that will boost the number of Admiral Nurses in the UK by 10 percent.
This year, 11 new ‘Bupa Admiral Nurses’ will be based in Bupa care homes across the UK and will help non-Bupa customers in local communities. They will support residents’ families, implement best practice dementia care and support local communities by working with local healthcare professionals and charities. They will also hold advice clinics and support the national Dementia UK helpline.
Mark Ellerby, Managing Director, Bupa Care Services, said:
“The Prime Minister set us a challenge to help make communities more dementia friendly – this strategic partnership will provide better access to information and advice in the communities in which the nurses will be based.
“As an international healthcare group, we’re always looking to showcase innovation and export best practice. This new partnership has the potential to shape what good dementia care looks like outside the UK.”
Barbara Stephens, Chief Executive, Dementia UK, said:
“It can be distressing when a loved one develops dementia. Feelings of guilt, powerlessness and loss are common. Families need someone to turn to who understands their fears for the future and the issues that they face. This partnership will enable the expertise and skills of Admiral Nurses to be more accessible than ever before, meaning more families will have much needed guidance and support at difficult times.”
Graham Stokes, Director of Dementia Care, Bupa, said:
“As the biggest provider of specialist dementia care in the UK, we often see relatives who have struggled for many years caring for a loved one – sometimes on their own with little support. Supporting families throughout the journey is just as important as caring for people living with dementia. I’m delighted we can add this new partnership to our market leading ‘Person First’ approach to dementia care.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
Available for interview
- Dr Graham Stokes, Director of Dementia Care, Bupa
- Barbara Stephens, Chief Executive, Dementia UK
Other information
- Admiral Nurses are specialist mental health nurses specialising in dementia. There are currently 104 in the UK.
- Admiral Nurses work with family carers and people with dementia, in the community and other settings. Working collaboratively with other professionals, Admiral Nurses seek to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers.
- The recruitment process for the 11 ‘Bupa Admiral Nurses’ is underway – joint interviews will take place with Bupa and Dementia UK. The new nurses will be in post by September.
- The nurses will be based in the following locations: Sussex, Leeds, Liverpool, North West, three in London (North London, South West London, South East London), Kent, Surrey and two other locations to be confirmed.
Contact Us
James Thompson
Bupa Press Office
Tel: +44 (0)20 7656 2454
About Us
About Bupa
Bupa’s purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives. A leading international healthcare group, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.
With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare, and fulfil our purpose. We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.
Employing more than 52,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.
About Bupa Care Services
- In the UK, Bupa Care Services is the second biggest care home provider.
- We have more than 300 nursing and residential care homes, where we look after over 18,000 people.
- Over 70% of our UK residents receive some form of state funding, either from Local Authorities or the NHS.
- Bupa Care Services employs over 27,000 people in the UK.
- We look after a further 10,000 people in care homes in Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
For more information, visit www.bupa.co.uk/business
About Dementia UK
Dementia UK is a national charity that is committed to supporting families affected by dementia. The charity provides and supports Admiral Nurses, the Admiral Nursing DIRECT helpline, Uniting Carers – a national involvement network of family carers of people with dementia – and accredited and specialist dementia care training via Dementia UK Training. All initial enquiries to 020 7874 7200 or visit www.dementiauk.org.
Admiral Nurses are mental health nurses specialising in dementia who provide person-centred support to family carers and people with dementia. Dementia UK works in partnership with NHS providers and commissioners and other care organisations to promote and develop the Admiral Nurse services.
The national helpline and email service Admiral Nursing DIRECT is provided by experienced and specialist Admiral Nurses and is for family carers, care professionals, people with dementia, those worried about their memory. Call 0845 257 9406 or email direct@dementiauk.org.
