Kingston Hospital has won the ‘Best Dementia Friendly Hospital’ category in the National Dementia Care Awards 2020.

In 2014, Kingston Hospital launched its first dementia strategy. Refurbishment of its elderly care wards began in 2016 and was completed in 2019, following a successful fundraising campaign. We remain most grateful to all who contributed, particularly our principal donors – The Gosling Foundation, Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust, the Hampton Fund, the late Mr & Mrs Ludbrook and the Mayor’s Fund.

Winners of the National Dementia Care Awards were announced at a virtual awards presentation held on Thursday 12 November, attended by over 400 guests.

The National Dementia Care Awards are an annual event organised by The Journal of Dementia Care, a multidisciplinary journal for all professional staff working with people with dementia, in hospitals, nursing and residential care homes, day units and the community. The awards were created to recognise the very best people in the dementia care sector, whose exceptional work and contributions make better, person-centred care a reality. There were 15 categories to enter overall and there were up to five finalists in each category with two independent judges.

The following statement was issued by the judging panel:

“The judges thought all the finalists were brilliant. They chose Kingston Hospital as the winner because of their exceptional commitment to improving the hospital experience for patients with dementia and their carers. In their achievements, they have demonstrated their underpinning philosophy – the more you know about the background of the person with dementia, the better care you can give.”