The Doncaster Admiral nurse service is a partnership initiative between the NHS, Doncaster Council and voluntary sector led by a new team of dedicated dementia specialists operating across the borough.

Three highly trained nurses and a clinical manager now work in people’s homes to provide a familiar point of contact for information, advice, support, education and training for the whole family.

Eight dementia advisors support the Doncaster nurses, working alongside all Doncaster GP’s. They provide advice, information and signpost people with dementia, and their carers, to local support services that provide help.

Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia nurses who give much-needed practical and emotional support to family carers, as well as the person with dementia. Admiral Nurses can support people throughout their experience of dementia, tailoring support to individual needs and challenges. The Nurses will give people the knowledge they need to understand the condition and its effects, the skills and tools to improve communication, and provide emotional and psychological support to help family carers carry on caring for their family member.

Each of the 5 locality hubs across Doncaster will have a dedicated Admiral Nurse and Dementia Advisor. It’s a pioneering service for the town bringing together specialist nursing and dementa advice to seamlessly act as a vital link between those who have dementia and GPs, local hospitals, care homes and end of life services.

The service is available to people living in Doncaster who have dementia, and their carers, family members and friends. Crucially, those diagnosed with dementia – or their families – can self-refer to the team. Managed by social care charity Making Space, the free to use service is available to anyone who is registered with a Doncaster GP. Referrals are also made by GPs and other health and social care staff.

Read more about the Doncaster Admiral Nurse service on the Making Space website |  Doncaster CCG website

One of the key advantages of the Doncaster Admiral Service is that is helps people to live independently at home for as long as possible. The service will also help reduce the number of emergency admissions to hospital, as the care of people with dementia will be more effectively managed where they live.