A new specialist dementia nurse and memory assessment support service has launched in Cheshire East to support local families with dementia.

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

Laura Whitehead, who is leading the service, is a full-time specialist Admiral Nurse covering the Macclesfield, Wilmslow and Knutsford areas of Cheshire.

Families in the community have been benefiting from the new Admiral Nurse service which offers expert guidance and practical solutions for those caring for a person with dementia. So far, more than 40 families across the county have received help.

Admiral Nurse Laura Whitehead is excited to get to work in Macclesfield.

Dementia is a huge and growing health crisis, with 944,000 people living with the condition in the UK – and this number is set to increase to 1.1m by 2030.

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 additional new service has been commissioned by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust and supports their Community Mental Health Teams and follows a successful pilot in Cheshire.

The UK's ageing population could lead to increase rates of dementia, so initiatives such as these coming to fruition are essential support services. (Image - Dementia UK)

The pilot trial which led to the Macclesfield expansion saw over 700 families helped Ellesmere Port and Neston.

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, Wilmslow and Knutsford to plug this gap and support local families who are urgently in need of this specialist support." 

Bob Cochrane has worked for Dementia UK for four years. He appointed Laura to the new Macclesfield role. (Image - Dementia UK)

Laura Whitehead said: "We're working with an increasing number of families affected by dementia across Cheshire East and giving them emotional and practical support to cope with a dementia diagnosis.

"We also give tailored information, advice and coping strategies which can help people to safely stay in their home for longer and live more positively with dementia. We also provide advanced care planning."

Further Admiral Nurses and Memory Assessment Nurses are being appointed in Cheshire. Admiral Nurse Kim Griffiths recently joined the team to cover the city of Chester and she will be joined later this month by a colleague covering Winsford. Applications are also open for an Admiral Nurse to join the Crewe team.

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 impact of a dementia diagnosis.

Families need to see their GP to access the service. (Image - Waters Green Medical Centre on Sunderland Street by Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

Cathrina said: "We are delighted to be working with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, local Community Mental Health Teams and Dementia UK to provide this vital service to people across Cheshire East.

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

"To find out more about the new service, families need to see their GP and ask for a referral via the local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) in their area."

Macclesfield: For more information, please visit this link.

Got an event you'd like us to promote in Macclesfield? List it for FREE on our What's On section.

Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our FREE Friday weekly newsletter? It contains each week's top five Macclesfield news stories, and one EXCLUSIVE article?

1400 of you have signed up already. Simply enter your email address on this link.

Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper for Macclesfieldand the surrounding area.

You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.