Bradford Teaching Hospitals will today unveil its half a million pounds landmark project which sees two wards transformed into unique, healing environments for patients with dementia.

The new facilities on wards 23 and 29, which incorporate the use of art, film, colour and touch aim to provide dementia patients and their carers with an environment that provides relaxation, independence and better orientation, as well as encouraging stimulation to make hospital stays as comfortable as possible for those who suffer from this debilitating condition.

Dementia is a condition that is more common in people aged 65 and over, although it can affect younger people. Symptoms include loss of memory, judgement and even the ability to speak. The condition affects not just the patient, but also their loved ones, who in their role as carer can see their relationship with their partner or relative change immeasurably.

Chief Nurse, Sally Napper, said: “Bradford Teaching Hospitals was just one of 12 hospitals across the country chosen to take part in The King’s Fund’s Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) programme in 2010. The programme which has been sponsored by the Department of Health encourages and enables nurse-led teams to work in partnership with the estates department and patients to improve the environment in which they deliver care.

“Research has demonstrated that outcomes for patients in hospital with dementia are worse that for patients who do not have dementia. Their satisfaction with their hospital stay is often poor and they stay in hospital for longer than those who do not have the disease. There is also evidence that by enhancing the environment these outcomes can be improved.

“The EHE programme on ward 23 has seen the orthopaedics ward evolve from out-dated, drab surroundings into a therapeutic and rousing environment full of colour and stimulation. It’s also been transformed into a bright and vibrant working environment for staff but more importantly it has made a real difference to the patients who are treated there and the families and carers who visit.”

In Bradford there are around 5,000 registered patients with dementia but estimates suggest that there may be many people who have the disease but do not have a diagnosis.

The EHE project has ensured that Wards 23 and 29 (elderly) have been transformed under a ‘Yorkshire Outdoors’ theme and include:

•    Corridors which have been flooded with vibrant photographs depicting the surrounding countryside  and familiar local scenes to aid reminiscence of sufferers. An archive of photos was garnered from a recent district-wide public photo competition held by the Foundation Trust which led to the establishment of an archive to ensure that pictures on corridor walls can be changed regularly through the seasons;

•    Wards and side rooms which have been repainted in appealing colours to aid dementia patients’ orientation and pathways around the wards. Colours were chosen with the help from patients, their carers and staff;

•    Art work has been commissioned and films from the Yorkshire Film Archive are shown to stimulate patients and help them reminisce. The films depict much-loved scenes from around Bradford and throughout the region like trips to the seaside, VE Day in Foster Square, ‘holidays at home’ in Lister Park, footage of Birdswell Primary School and Lyons grocers shop in Bradford city centre. Patients can watch these films from specially-commissioned cinema scenes;

•    Memory boxes have been added to personalise bed spaces. These are display boxes situated behind the bed for personal items like photographs or momentos which help the patient identify their bed if they have forgotten which one it is;

•    Dynamic new lighting has been installed to aid a patient’s sleep and wake cycles – dementia sufferers often have a disrupted sleep pattern;

•    Shutters have been added to one bay to prevent light coming in from the rest of the ward so patients can have improved sleep at night;

•    New TVS installed which have DVDs inbuilt and USB ports so families can bring in their own films and photographs which might help people feel calmer;

•    A reminiscence café full of items from the past has been created on ward 29 which provides a relaxing area away from the clinical environment where patients from all wards can relax with their families and carers. The café will be manned by hospital volunteers and open between 2-4pm daily.

Duncan Preston, Patron of Alzheimer's Society Bradford services said: “Despite some wonderful, caring doctors and nurses, being admitted to hospital is a scary prospect for all of us. For people with dementia feelings of fear, confusion and disorientation are multiplied a hundred-fold.
 
“Anything that can be done to improve hospital care for vulnerable people with dementia is vital.  Simple things like reassuring people, helping them adapt to their environment and training staff to provide sensitive, safe care can make a huge difference. Alzheimer's Society has been campaigning on this issue for many years and I'm delighted that Bradford is leading the way.”

The project team includes: Dawn Parkes (Head of Nursing for Medicine), Debbie Beaumont, Anne Austick (ward 23 sister) Shane Embleton (estates project manager) and dementia carer Sarah-Jane Szikora, whose mother suffers from dementia.

Project leader, Dawn Parkes, said: “Dementia is one of the most distressing diseases facing our society – it carries a terrible burden for sufferers and their families. We know that the physical environment in which we care for people affects the way they feel, and this is especially true for people with dementia and those caring for them.

“We believe that this project is all about getting patients engaged in activities, rather than sitting alone in their rooms or staring at bland walls doing nothing. This huge refurbishment programme has very real benefits for families and carers too as they can come into the hospital with confidence, secure in the knowledge that our staff have designed wards specifically to enhance and enrich their loved ones care.

“We hope that these ward improvements will make a real difference to the quality of the environment in which people are cared for in Bradford and empower staff at the same time.”

Funding for the Bradford project, which came to a total of £554,000, was gained from a variety of sources. The Department of Health via The King’s Fund supplied a £50,000 grant and the Foundation Trust initially provided an additional £15,000 to kick-start the programme. Other money was then secured from Bradford Teaching Hospitals Charitables Fund who donated £79,000 and the Friends of the Bradford Royal Infirmary gave a further £10,000. Hospital executives then decided to bring forward a planned £400,000 refurbishment of ward 23 so that renovation work could be done at the same time.

Sarah Waller CBE programme director for The King’s Fund’s EHE programme, said: “The Bradford EHE team have been exceptional and a delight to work with. Their clear aim has been to improve the patient experience and care delivery through environmental change and they have completed an extraordinary transformation in these two wards.

“Their inventiveness, enthusiasm, attention to detail and shear hard work have been evident throughout this scheme which will bring immense benefit to patients, carers and staff.

“I hope that the links with the local community formed during the project will continue to grow. We are indebted to the team, to the Foundation Trust and all those who have supported this exemplar project.”  

Project member and dementia carer, Sarah-Jane Szikora, who is also an independent artist, created a special painting of the Bradford EHE team which was unveiled in ward 29’s corridor today.

Chief Executive, Miles Scott, said: ‘I am delighted that Bradford was chosen as one of the centres for the Enhancing the Healing Environment programme from its inception.

“I am delighted that so many staff and organisations now see the benefits of improving the environment for the people they care for and support. I am especially pleased that nurses have played such a key leadership role in this project. I believe patients and their families and carers will agree that this programme has been a fantastic success regarding the transformation of our ward environments.”