Referral formAcute Assessment Unit
About us
We work with people living with dementia and their carers. We help with independence at home and try to improve the care available.
The service also works with other services, such as GPs, social services and other voluntary and NHS services. We aim to improve communication and coordination of care between groups.
Who is the service for?
- Patients over 18 who are registered with a Richmond GP
- Carers of patients registered with a Richmond GP
What do we offer?
- Home visits to assess and discuss your needs
- Dementia screening and referral to GP for review and possible referral to a memory clinic
- Recommendation and referral to local support services in the statutory and voluntary sectors
- Attendance at meetings with other professionals as your patient / carer advocate to ensure your views are respected
- Liaison with other staff to ensure you receive care for your dementia as well as your physical needs
- Advice on: developing a support plan to prevent hospital admission or a crisis; developing our workforce by providing awareness and more in-depth training for our healthcare professionals and support staff; and promoting positive dementia care
- Help and support for patients and carers to make future plans
What to expect when you are first referred?
Once we receive a referral, we will:
- respond within 48 hours
- call you to discuss your issues
- make an appointment for a home visit within 5 days
- assess the needs of patients and carers
Support for carers
People who support a relative or friend living with dementia often provide the majority of support and possess an in-depth knowledge of the person they care for.
We know that supporting a loved one with dementia can be stressful and challenging.
Some of the challenges can include coping with the financial, emotional and physical assistance required in the practicalities of daily living.
The health of the person acting as a carer can be overlooked when there is a lot to organise.
Being informed allows you and the person you are caring for to access the right support at the right time. This can help to maintain independence as abilities change, enabling a better quality of life, based on what is important to individuals.
We offer home visits to help you prioritise care and support appropriate to your needs and those of your loved ones living with dementia.
We do this by helping you coordinate with services and create plans for your future appropriate to your changing needs.
Our assessment looks at the needs of carers, as we consider them essential partners in the provision and delivery of health and social care services.
Local support for carers
Richmond Carers Centre
Richmond Carers Centre is a local charity that provides support to carers and young carers. They offer free and confidential advice, information and support to unpaid carers living or caring for someone living in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Tel: 020 8867 2380 Email: info
Richmond adult social care
Answers general enquiries about adult social care and referrals.Richmond adult social care website
Telephone: 020 8891 7971 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
SMS telephone: 07860 034792
Telephone out of hours: 020 8744 2442 (for out of hours emergencies Monday to Friday, 5pm to 8am; 24 hours on weekends and bank holidays)
Email: adultsocialcare
Richmond Carers Centre
Offers universal advice and information for carers.
Richmond Carers Centre website
Telephone: 020 8867 2380
Email: info
Alzheimer’s Society (Richmond)
Offers dementia advisers for home visits, carers support groups, social events and training.
Telephone: 020 8036 9570 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm)
Email: RichmondServices
Age UK (Richmond)
Provides social and financial advice.
Telephone: 020 8878 3625 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm)
Email: info
Local handy person telephone: 020 3326 9432
Teresa Keegal – Richmond Community Dementia Practitioner
Teresa (SRN, Dip DN, MSc, Queen’s Nurse) has worked within community health services for over 35 years.
This has included working in a rehabilitation team supporting early discharge Hospital@Home, Hospital Discharge Liaison, District Nurse Team Leader, Practice Development Nurse and Service Manager within the Hounslow area of Hounslow & Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
During this time, she led several innovations including setting up leg ulcer clinics with protocols for care, introducing electronic record keeping enabling consistency of care and introduction of the McKinley syringe driver training and policy.
This work often bought Teresa in to contact with patients living with dementia as well as personal family experience of the disease and undertaking the role of carer.
Following her MSc in Healthcare Education & Leadership Teresa returned to a clinical/ teaching role to set up the Richmond Community Dementia Team with Nina Jalota.
Teresa is also a Certified Independent Consultant (Positive Approach to Care (PAC)) via Teepa Snow; world leading advocate and educator for anyone living with Dementia and other brain changes.
Nina Jalota – Richmond Community Dementia Practitioner
Nina and Teresa work as a team, benefiting from each other’s skills and experience so that the best possible solutions are offered to people living with dementia, their carers and the other professionals involved in each person’s dementia care. They are also core members of the HRCH Dementia Training Team which has been offering dementia training and education to staff and partners since 2012.
The service aims to support the general health teams in the community caring for patients and their carers, ensuring they receive care for their dementia alongside any co-morbidities.
All of our team members volunteer with The Alzheimer's Society as Dementia Friends Champions.
Referrals
Referrals are accepted from GPs, hospitals or other health or social care professionals.