Hospitals: Dementia
(asked on 8th July 2020) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the (a) safety of patients in hospitals who have been advised to shield and (b) continuity of care for patients in hospitals with dementia and Alzheimer's disease who require personal assistance from relatives or informal carers during and following the covid-19 outbreak.
National Health Service guidance states that wherever care at home is not possible, providers should ensure safe care for patients who are shielding in infection-controlled clinical settings, in line with the latest infection prevention and control guidance. This guidance includes details on how providers can ensure the safety of patients in hospitals and minimise the risk of infection and can be found at the following link:
NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance on ‘Visiting healthcare inpatient settings during the COVID-19 pandemic’ advises that patients, including people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, may be accompanied in hospital where appropriate and necessary to assist with the patient’s communication and/or to meet the patient’s health or social care needs. This guidance is available at the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/visitor-guidance/