AN ESTIMATED 2,977 people will be battling dementia in Swindon by 2021.

The figures were revealed in the GWH Dementia Plan delivered at a board meeting held last week, which states that up to 70 per cent of acute beds are currently occupied by patients over the age of 65.

Dementia is thought to be costing an overall annual bill of £20bn, which is set to rise to £34.8bn by 2036.

Rob Nicholls, deputy director of nursing leading on dementia, delivered the report which showed GWH is performing in the middle quartile compared nationally according to the National Dementia Audit 2010 and South West Hospitals Peer Review 2011, demonstrating good practices as well as areas that require further improvements.

Mr Nicholls outlined a number of areas where the GWH was performing well with dementia care.

“Nursing staff have access to a recognised process to record and report risks to patient care if they believe ward staffing is inadequate,” he said.

“The hospital provides access to a liaison psychiatry service which can provide assessment and treatment to adults throughout the hospital. The end of life care pathway specifies that the health care teams and consultant discuss any issues to do with end-of-life care with the patient and carers or relatives.”

To further improve the service, the GWH will hold dementia awareness training, introduce a care pathway for people with dementia and improve access to liaison psychiatry services out-of-hours and on weekends.

Mr Nicholls said: “The board should appoint a Senior Clinician Lead for Dementia with designated time in their job plan.

“Ward managers should regularly review staffing levels required to support mealtimes and all staff are provided with basic training in dementia awareness and a proportion of ward staff receive higher level training.”

Last week, a new website called Our Health, was launched in the town highlighting dementia and stroke services in the South West.

The website, which can be found at www.ourhealth.southwest.

nhs.uk, is the first of its kind in England and will now be extended around the country.

It brings together the latest information from a wide range of sources and data not currently available, plus networking facilities so that patients and carers can link up to share and compare information and experiences.