DEMENTIA specialists from Germany have described the care which staff give to patients at the Royal United Hospital in Bath as "inspirational".

The team of 20, made up of nurses, physicians, psychiatrists, matrons and managers, visited the RUH from the Robert Bosch Foundation to find out how the hospital provides dementia care in an acute hospital setting.

Jonathan Willis, ward manager on Combe ward, arranged the visit. He said: “We were delighted to be sharing our expertise with such a prestigious group.

“The delegates met representatives from many of the teams across the hospital who have an involvement in dementia care: clinicians, nurses and therapists, scientists and design engineers, staff from mental health, staff who constantly monitor the patient experience, and those who look after the physical environment; everyone had expertise to share with the Robert Bosh Foundation representatives. The room was buzzing with conversations and the exchange of ideas. It was a hugely successful visit.”

Representatives from the Robert Bosch Foundation, which is one of the leading private foundations in Europe, are visiting a few UK hospitals to see how each provides dementia care.

Christian Müller-Hergl, from the foundation, described the care at the RUH as inspirational and praised the way in which different professions work together to provide holistic care.

He added: “We were all impressed with the enthusiasm and welcome that we received from the staff at the Royal United Hospital. It was interesting to understand the multidisciplinary approach that the hospital has to dementia care and to see how the view of every individual in the teams is given equal value. There are many ideas that we can take back with us which can be used to improve dementia care.”