NSFT Nurse Consultant shortlisted for two prestigious national awards
NSFT Dementia Nurse Consultant Kumar Ponnusamy is celebrating with his colleagues after being shortlisted for two prestigious national awards, the Nursing Times Care of Older People Award, and the Royal College of Nursing’s Nursing Older People Award.
Mr Ponnusamy’s work to establish a memory assessment service which has improved the diagnosis and treatment of dementia in care homes was shortlisted out of hundreds of entrants across the health and care sector for the awards.
His work involved gaining support for and designing the new service as well as creating nurse-led multidisciplinary meetings to discuss an individual’s diagnosis and plan the most appropriate care for them. It also supported care home staff to better understand the needs and care for people with a dementia diagnosis.
In the first six months of the newly designed service, 109 people were assessed, with 95 receiving a diagnosis of dementia. Thirteen people were referred on to other services and three discontinued antipsychotic medication. As a result, other NHS trusts are looking to replicate the service as they pilot Mr Ponnusamy’s approach.
Mr Ponnusamy said: “I hope these nominations can help to change the narrative regarding the importance and value of a diagnosis of dementia for people living in care homes, their families and those who care for them.
“I am thrilled to be a finalist for these two national awards. They recognise the hard work and innovation of the project team, which has inspired other NHS trusts to pilot this approach in improving dementia care in care homes.”
NSFT Interim Chief Nurse Tumi Banda said: “We are very proud of Kumar and his team for this groundbreaking project. Ensuring that people living in care homes who have suspected dementia can be assessed and diagnosed quickly will make a huge difference to their lives.
“It means the team can work to identify the best treatment and support to help that person, and those caring for them.
“Mr Ponnusamy’s approach highlights our commitment at NSFT to providing quality and safe care across all our services and our relentless focus on improving the safety, quality and the experience of our service users.”