Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust welcomes nurse specialist to help patients living with dementia

Stephen Hallas, 48, of Barnsley, has joined the Trust with his new role being part of the Integrated Transfer of Care Hub, (ITOC Hub) a co-located service consisting of health and social care colleagues who work across the hospitals in Wakefield, Dewsbury and Pontefract and in the community to support timely discharge of patients.

The position has been created as part of The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s initiative to provide holistic support for discharge and to support with re-admissions into hospital for patients living with dementia.

Dementia Transition of Care Nurse Specialist Mr Hallas said: “With personal and professional experience in this field I am pleased to put my expertise to good use and be able to facilitate safe and timely discharges for people living with dementia. Offering support through this period will help to reduce readmissions.

“I can’t promise to stop the surprises that come with this illness, but I can help to lessen their impact.”

The new service will provide care homes and care providers with specialised support this also extends to families and carers, providing signposting to local services and offer strategies and tools to help them manage and support the patient at home.

Lyndsey Scaife, Head of Integrated Discharge said: “This role is instrumental to our service.

“Stephen brings extensive knowledge and understanding to the role, allowing him to provide personalised care and support around discharge.”