The JackDawe service (NToW8)
Background
The JackDawe team was a specialist multi-agency, award winning home care service for people with dementia.
Aims/Objectives
The aims of the JackDawe service were to:
- Provide people who have dementia with the appropriate services to help them remain at home as safely as possible for as long as possible
- Support carers by providing practical help and information
- Link with voluntary agencies, such as the Alzheimer' Society, to provide independent specialist support
- Work as a multidisciplinary team, including care workers, community liaison nurses (mental health) and occupational therapists, with carers seen to be a key part of the extended team
What happened?
The JackDawe Service developed in response to the need for more appropriate, person-centred home care for people with dementia.
It was first introduced into a district of Nottingham in 1999 and was then rolled out across the city.
The multi-agency members of the JackDawe service shared a clear and collective vision focused on the needs of service users and carers.
Outcomes
The project had a number of outcomes:
- The whole team, including administrators, were trained in person-centred care and understanding dementia
- There was a high degree of integration of health and social care staff
- All team members were engaged in care planning and review
- Members of the JackDawe service shared a clear and collective vision for the service, focused on the needs of both the service users and their carers
- Teams regularly reviewed the results of customer surveys, service user feedback and performance data to identify opportunities for service improvement
- Feedback from service users and carers showed that the JackDawe service provided an appropriate, focused, co-ordinated and responsive approach
Impact on workforce development and how you can use the learning
By training all members of the team in dementia care outcomes for people needing care and support are likely to be more consistent.
To successfully implement change you need to ensure everyone has the same level of knowledge and understanding of peoples support needs.
Additional materials
NToW8 - Making a difference in dementia care January 2007
NToW8 - Dementia care - King's Fund background paper, Wanless social care review
