A NEW specialist dementia nurse and memory assessment support service is being rolled out across Cheshire after a successful pilot.

It will see the appointment of four full-time specialist admiral nurses and one memory assessment nurse to help make a difference to those living with a dementia diagnosis in the county – in Chester, Macclesfield, Winsford and Crewe.

There is no cure for dementia, but there is care. Admiral nurses are continually supported and developed by Dementia UK to provide life-changing support for families affected by all forms of dementia.

Admiral nurses work in hospitals, GP practices and local community services to provide clinical, emotional and practical support that enables people to live more positively with dementia.

The service, which will improve diagnosis rates and post diagnostic support, is being provided by Dementia Resource Community in partnership with Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nurse charity.

It follows a successful trial in Ellesmere Port and Neston, which was commissioned by Cheshire West CCG and has seen more than 700 families supported.

The additional new service, commissioned by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, launched in Chester last month.

Clinical lead and admiral nurse Cathrina Moore founded Dementia Resource Community, a non-profit subsidiary of Chapel House Care in Puddington, Cheshire, to improve life for families living with the impacts of a dementia diagnosis.

Cathrina said: “We are delighted to be working with local community mental health teams and Dementia UK to provide this vital service to people across Cheshire.

“There is a real need for this service, particularly because there is often a lot of misunderstanding in relation to the symptoms of neurological disease and the challenges of diagnosis caused by the Pandemic.

“Since our first full-time admiral nurse started in her role in Chester four weeks ago, the service has already had 31 referrals.

“Over the coming weeks, three more admiral nurses and a memory assessment nurse will be taking on their new roles to cover Macclesfield, Winsford and Crewe.”

Bob Cochrane, regional account manager at Dementia UK, said: “The last few years have placed increasing pressure on local services that support families with dementia. This has left many families unable to cope with no one to turn to for support.

“This is why we are so pleased to be rolling out further admiral nurse services in Macclesfield, Winsford and Crewe to plug this gap and support local families who are urgently in need of this specialist support.”