Swindon Care Home Liaison Team

Who are we?

The Swindon Care Home Liaison Team is a small, specialist service led by nurses.

We provide evidence-based, person-centred and mental health assessment and intervention(s) for older adults in Swindon care homes.

We see people both with and without dementia.

Older adults can experience the same range of mental health conditions as adults of working age. These can be more difficult to treat in later life, due to frailty and physical illnesses.

People with dementia often have complex needs and these will change over time.

These can present challenges for those caring for them.

How can we help?

We can support Swindon care homes to give person-centered care to:

reduce distress and promote personhood and wellbeing;
think about and identify unmet needs.

We aim to minimise the need for admission to hospital. If this
is necessary, we try to make this as short and smooth as possible.

We offer

A full assessment of mental health needs for older adults, including those with dementia.
Advice on the management and treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). We start with a person-centered, psychosocial approach, but in complex cases we can also recommend and/or start or stop medication. We support homes to develop care plans that promote least-restrictive interventions.
Information and training on older adult mental health, dementia, person-centered care,
and behaviour support plans.
Support with case discussions around complex mental health treatment and care needs.
Referral and signposting to other services if needed.

How to refer

Care homes in Swindon can access our service in these ways:

Direct referral by the person’s GP.
Referral by any other registered health professional, after discussion with the person’s GP to exclude any physical causes for any sudden changes in behavior.

If you need help to make a referral, please call 01793 327936.

Referrals must be emailed to: awp.swindoncarehomeliaisonreferrals@nhs.net