We’re running a three-month trial offering blue wristbands to dementia patients to make them more easily identifiable, allowing staff to offer more support where needed.

It was launched on Friday 1 November and will run initially on one ward at each of our hospitals. It is hoped that if successful, it will be rolled out across our Trust.

Gary Etheridge, one of our directors of nursing, said: “This will help us to immediately recognise patients living with dementia so we can ensure they receive the best possible care during their stay in our hospitals.”

The blue wristbands will be worn instead of standard white hospital wristbands and patients and their families will have the option whether they chose to wear one. The trial will run alongside our other initiative to offer more support to dementia patients, the Butterfly Scheme, where a blue butterfly is displayed above a patient’s bed, identifying that they have dementia.

Alina Stevens, from our Dementia team, added: “The best thing about these bands is that they will travel with patients, where a butterfly above a bed doesn’t. If patients need to go to other departments for tests or treatment, the wristband will signify to other colleagues that they may need some additional support.

“We regularly run coffee afternoon for carers of people with dementia where we have discussed this new trial, and we’ve received great feedback about how it will benefit their loved ones.”

Pictured above are Vijay Nelias, dementia practitioner, Chief Nurse Kathryn Halford, director of nursing Gary Etheridge and Alina Stevens, from our Dementia team.