Liaison Service Network
Liaison Service Network
What is the Liaison Service Network?
The Liaison Service Network meets roughly every four months for professionals involved in General Hospital Liaison Services.
It is understood that people in stressful and potentially isolated situations benefit from linking with others in similar situations for exchange of ideas and experiences and to promote mutual education, advocacy and support. This principle is recognised in provisions for patients, educationalists, managers and people working in mental health.
Dementia UK have begun to support regular network meetings for staff involved in General Hospital Liaison services for older people in the West Midlands. The network met first in October 2010. We had been stimulated by points made in the National Dementia Strategy, and by reports coming from many sources, to identify this arena as the one most in need of support and improvement. There have been three more meetings during 2011 and three more planned for 2012.
Dr Karan Juttla published a poster about the Liaison Network for the Dementia Congress in November 2011. View it here
We have recently submitted a more detailed paper on the Liaison Service Network to the Journal of the Institute of Ageing and Health, West Midlands, which is due to be published soon
Who attends?
Staff from 11 of the 14 main districts in the region.
Most attendees are nurses but our lists include doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, researchers and family carers.
Why does it meet?
- To share information and resources shaping Liaison services
- To network with colleagues
- To offer peer support in a fascinating and illuminating way
- To learn from each other, share worries and difficulties and enable professionals to speak with a united voice.
Topics covered have included dementia, delirium, depression, approaches to teaching, working with family carers, reviews of recent reports and reviews of recent publications but the greatest learning comes from the accounts of activities generated by the members.
Dementia UK’s Role
- To chair, co-ordinate and administer the network
- To raise the profile of West Midlands Liaison Services
Next Meeting
The next meeting is 11th June and this promises to be extra special with guest speakers Barbara Hodkinson (the Butterfly Scheme) and Rachel Thompson (Dementia Project Lead, Royal College of Nursing). See the full programme here
Future Dates
Mon 1st Oct 2012
Meetings and Presentations
Contact Details
For more information about the network contact: Sandra Graham, Administrator, Dementia UK West Midlands, email: sandra.graham@dementiauk.org