Job Overview
The Associate Practitioner for Dementia Activity Coordinator will be responsible for developing, organising, and facilitating high‑quality therapeutic activity programmes for elderly patients, including those with dementia, across the Trust. The aim is to improve patient experience and prevent and reduce delirium for our most frail and vulnerable patients.
Role Details
The post holder will work alongside the Associate Practitioner in Dementia, under the supervision of the Dementia Clinical Nurse Specialist. The role is expected to assist in providing dementia awareness training to all hospital staff, ensuring carers are signposted to relevant dementia support. The post holder will have a specific site base but can work cross‑site to undertake a range of delegated tasks and delegated authority to improve the dementia service.
Its key purpose is to improve patient experience for people living with dementia who are admitted to hospital through therapeutic activities and mental stimulation. The role also supports the team to ensure that patients aged 65 and over admitted as an emergency case for more than 72 hours in FHFT are appropriately assessed for dementia and referred to specialist services.
Main duties of the job include:
* Providing support to the Dementia Clinical Nurse Specialist for a caseload of patients living with dementia admitted at FHFT by delivering therapeutic activities, psychosocial interventions, and interventions enhancing mental stimulation.
* Undertaking regular reviews, offering signposting, and providing support to the person living with dementia and/or their carers, assisting with the hospital journey, and signposting to community support.
* Contributing to promoting a dementia‑aware culture across the organisation by assisting in the delivery of dementia awareness training for hospital staff and ensuring carers are informed and signposted to relevant support networks.
* Carrying out a range of delegated tasks and exercising delegated authority as required to support service improvement and the delivery of high‑quality dementia care.
Working for our Organisation
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability‑confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first‑class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management, leadership, and clinical skills training available.
We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis. Flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours; we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Educated to GCSE level or equivalent.
* Knowledge and understanding of the management of dementia.
* Knowledge of Clinical Audit.
* Completion of level 1 and 2 Adult Safeguarding training.
Desirable Criteria – Qualifications
* Foundation Degree in Health Care or working towards or access to courses with a special interest in dementia.
* Level 3 healthcare related qualification.
* Nursing Associate Foundation degree qualification.
* Registered Nursing Associate with NMC register.
* Completion of level 1 Safeguarding Children training.
Experience
Essential Criteria
* Minimum of 3 years of dementia care professional experience in an acute clinical area.
* Experience of ensuring that values, including care, compassion, competence, courage and commitment are adhered to daily, and any concerns are raised to relevant line manager.
* Evidence of working independently.
* Experience of providing and receiving complex sensitive information.
* Highly motivated with a positive attitude.
* Flexible, diplomatic and politically astute.
* Experience of delivering therapeutic activities in professional capacity in group and individually with people with dementia or cognitive problems.
Desirable Criteria – Experience
* Experience in delivering training to other staff members or colleagues.
* Hospital environment work experience.
* Experience of working with older adults with dementia in a professional capacity.
* Experience of delivering therapeutic activities in professional capacity in group and individually with people with dementia or cognitive problems.
* Experience of reading and understanding outcome measures.
* Experience working in the NHS.
* Understanding NHS/social care policies and practices relating to mental health.
* Experience in providing training and delivering presentations.
Skills and Knowledge
Essential Criteria
* Knowledgeable about dementia and preferred treatment methods and interventions.
* Knowledge and understanding of key issues and problems relating to care for people with dementia in hospital, person‑centred care and effects of therapeutic activity.
* Knowledge of relevant national and local policy such as the National Dementia Strategy.
* Demonstrate an understanding of the key sections of the Mental Capacity Act and its use in practice.
* Health and safety, awareness of risk.
* Demonstrate a sound understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with dementia and their family carers.
* Understanding of professional conduct and confidentiality.
* Basic computer skills and understanding of electronic patient records.
* Excellent communication skills.
* Ability to comprehend and communicate verbally and in writing highly sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including highly emotional situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.
* Able to work across professional and organisational boundaries.
* Ability to influence others and facilitate change.
* Ability to work autonomously, proactively and as part of a team.
* Ability to assess, deliver and evaluate quality care.
* Ability to plan and prioritise workload and respond to changing priorities to meet deadlines.
* Ability to deal with non‑routine and unpredictable nature of workload and individual patient contact.
* Ability to influence others at all levels.
* Ability to demonstrate initiative.
Desirable Criteria – Skills and Knowledge
* Advanced knowledge of the multidisciplinary approach to dementia care.
* Knowledge of medical and surgical conditions and procedures.
* Knowledge of medical terminology.
* Supervisory skills.
* IT literate with different programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook.
* Knowledge and understanding of cognitive assessment tools such as AMTS and 4AT used to assess dementia and delirium.
Special Requirements
Essential Criteria
* Ability to travel.
* Flexible and reliable as the role may require covering bank holidays and some weekends.
About Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation and record of achievement. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.
We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand‑new £100m state‑of‑the‑art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.
We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future‑proofed, featuring on‑site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helping us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.
Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, saving time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.
Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.
Apply online now
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