As Dementia Awareness Week invites us to reflect on the growing impact of dementia across our communities, Rowcroft Hospice is proud to announce a significant step forward in its commitment to compassionate dementia care. The charity is creating a new Clinical Lead for Dementia Care – a strategic leadership role that will shape the future direction of dementia support across all areas of the organisation.
With over 14,000 people currently living with dementia in Devon, the need for specialist, sensitive care has never been more pressing.
This new role will build on the hospice’s proactive approach to supporting people living with dementia at the end of life – ensuring their needs are met with dignity, understanding and clinical excellence.
Vicky Bartlett, Rowcroft’s Director of Patient Care, said:
“With more people living with dementia being referred to us for palliative care, this new role couldn’t come at a better time. It will build on our existing expertise and ensure dementia care is consistently embedded across all our clinical services.
As well as carrying out an in-depth audit, we’ll be delivering specialist training for our teams and enhancing our physical spaces – for example, with better signage and lighting, use of colour and dementia-friendly devices – to help people feel more comfortable, safe and supported in our care.”
“At the heart of expert dementia care is the understanding that every person is unique – with their own story, needs and ways of communicating,” said Rowcroft’s Occupational Therapist Debby Hill.
“We aim to deepen our commitment to truly person-centred care – care that prioritises the person, rather than the diagnosis. We’ll be drawing on best practice and the voices of people with lived experience to shape services that are compassionate, responsive and empowering.
It’s about supporting people to live well with dementia, right to the end of life – and ensuring they feel safe, valued and understood every step of the way.”
The announcement follows a number of recent initiatives that underline Rowcroft’s leadership in the field. In March, Rowcroft hosted its second UK Dementia and Palliative Care Conference at Buckfast Abbey, drawing over 100 delegates and leaders from across the country – including from Hospice UK – to explore the latest thinking and practice in dementia and end-of-life care.
The event showcased the power of collaboration and shared learning across the sector. A series of podcasts featuring speeches and other highlights from the day will soon be available to download from Rowcroft’s website at: rowcrofthospice.org.uk/dementia
Rowcroft is also a proud member of the EMPOWER Dementia Network Plus and recently held a creative workshop in Torquay that brought together local people with lived experience of dementia to share their stories, hopes and ideas. The insights from this workshop have contributed to a national manifesto for dementia care, helping to shape future research priorities and influence national policy to better reflect the needs of people affected by dementia.
As a testament to its growing reputation for expert dementia care, Rowcroft has recently been shortlisted for the Dementia Trainer and Workforce Development Award in the national Dementia in Care Awards – recognising the hospice’s commitment to empowering its teams through education, training and innovation. The winners will be announced on 19 June.
Under the leadership of the new Clinical Lead for Dementia Care, Rowcroft will launch a comprehensive training programme for all clinical staff.
The programme will deepen understanding of dementia, enhance communication and assessment skills, and ensure staff feel confident and equipped to deliver outstanding, person-centred care to those living with dementia. Training will be tailored to all clinical settings – from the Inpatient Unit in Torquay to community teams caring for people across South Devon – ensuring a consistent and compassionate approach.
Looking to the future, Rowcroft has ambitious plans for Lavender Square – a purpose-built nursing home designed for people with dementia and other complex conditions. Set within the grounds of the hospice, the nursing home will provide state-of-the-art, dementia-friendly accommodation and care facilities, created to support independence, comfort, and dignity. Features will include intuitive layouts, calming environments, memory aids and secure outdoor spaces – all designed in line with best practice in dementia care. Once operational, profits from Lavender Square will help fund Rowcroft’s wider hospice services, ensuring sustainable, high-quality palliative care for years to come.
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About Rowcroft Hospice
It takes time, compassion, medical expertise and money to help patients with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones to make the most of every day, but every year Rowcroft Hospice helps around 2,500 people in South Devon to do just that.
By providing comfort, support and specialist services, the hospice enables families to share precious and joyful moments when they are needed most – whether it’s a beautiful wedding, remarkable reunion, simple thank you or gentle cuddle.
From Dartmouth to Dawlish and up onto Dartmoor, Rowcroft cares for 80% of its patients in their own homes with a team of community nurse specialists, social workers, and bereavement volunteers. The team also provides occupational therapy, physiotherapy, complementary therapy, spiritual care and music therapy, delivering a holistic approach tailored to individual needs.
Day and night, Rowcroft’s award-winning Hospice at Home team provide free specialist support to patients at home in their last few of weeks of life. The team helps to monitor and manage symptoms to enable patients to be comfortable and also offers support for loved ones, enabling carers to take much needed breaks. The service includes a dedicated telephone support line 24 hrs a day.
In Rowcroft’s 12-bedded Inpatient Unit in Torquay, the hospice’s team provides specialist care for patients whose complex needs cannot be met at home. Along with high quality health and social care, we also offer delicious homecooked meals and access to our beautiful gardens. The welcoming and homely environment helps patients and families to make the most of precious time together.
Rowcroft is an independent charity with around 75% of its funding derived from the incredible generosity of local people. The hospice team fully acknowledges the current challenging economic climate and is grateful for the local community’s continued support through these tough times; every pound raised makes a real difference.
With an increasingly ageing local population, the demand for Rowcroft’s care has never been greater. The charity currently cares for around one in three people with life-limiting illnesses across South Devon and has ambitious plans to expand its care to reach more people.
For more information, please visit www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk
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