STAFF at Barnsley Hospital have this week been praised for their compassionate treatment of both patients and visitors.
John’s Campaign, a national organisation which campaigns for carers of dementia sufferers to have more visitor rights in hospitals, said Barnsley was one of its early supporters.
John’s Campaign aims to give family carers of those living with dementia the right to stay with them in hospital, in the same way that parents stay with their sick children.
This week is Carers’ Week and, as the NHS approaches its 70th birthday, John’s Campaign announced that all the NHS acute hospitals in England have made pledges to unrestricted visiting hours for people with dementia.
Julia Jones, one of the campaign’s founders, said: “Barnsley was one of the earliest to sign up to John’s Campaign. In the time since we were founded, more than 1,000 institutions have pledged support and a lot of progress has been made. Since June 2015, we have been asking all hospitals to pledge their welcome to carers via a 50-word statement displayed on the Observer newspaper Carers’ Welcome list.”
Heather Mcnair, the hospital’s director of nursing, said: “We recognise the important role families and carers can play in helping to improve patients’ wellbeing and experience. All our adult inpatient wards are open between 11am and 8pm. We are part of the Butterfly Scheme and welcome carers as our partners in care, encouraging open visiting for patients with dementia.”
The Butterfly Scheme identifies dementia sufferers in hospital to staff, but the placement of a discreet butterfly.
