New geriatric unit opened by Line of Duty actress

Staff and patients at the new unit were joined by actress Vicky McClure

A new ward designed especially for dementia patients has opened at a Nottingham hospital.

The £9.8m geriatric assessment unit opened at the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) on Thursday.

It aims to see older patients and those with dementia more quickly, and discharge them within a maximum of 72 hours, Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust said.

Nottingham actress Vicky McClure, whose grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, cut the ribbon at the new unit alongside a 94-year-old patient.

The Our Dementia Choir, which the Line of Duty star had pulled together for a BBC One documentary, also sang at the opening of the ward - leading a sing-a-long of "Sweet Caroline".

McClure cut the ribbon with 94-year-old Stanley Metcalf, a retired policeman from Toton

McClure described what she said was a lack of suitable care for dementia patients as "massively frustrating".

She said: "It's getting harder. I really hope there's going to be a drastic change soon because the numbers [of people living with dementia] are only going to increase and that is why this ward is so important."

The unit, built in what used to be an old medical file store, was funded by a national NHS England grant to try to cut waiting times and relieve pressures on health trusts.

The new unit has four beds in each bay, leaving more space for patients and staff and "dementia-specific" features.

Bright yellow toilet doors to make them easier to find, a clock in each room which clearly displays the day and date, furniture designed to prevent falls and circadian lighting which mimics the outside light conditions are among the key features.

Jean Scarrott, 96, was the unit's first patient

Stanley Metcalf, 94, cut the ribbon alongside Ms McClure.

He was part of the police detail during the official opening of the hospital in 1978, and said of the new unit: "To me, it's amazing."

Jean Scarrott, 96, from Wollaton, was the first patient to be admitted to the unit after a fall at home.

She has since been discharged home, where NUH said she continued to recuperate.

In December, NUH staff said people were being kept on trollies in corridors as it faced "extreme" winter pressure.

Dr Tasso Gazis, the divisional director for medicine at NUH, said: "One of the most harmful things we can do is keep people in the emergency department longer than they need to be and that goes double for frail, older people and people with dementia."

It is hoped patients will be able to return home sooner with appropriate care in place, rather than them have to stay in hospital when they do not need to be there.

Dr Gazis said extended stays in hospital could "drive deconditioning and further frailty".

Older patients will continue to be admitted to the hospital's emergency department as normal, but will be assessed to see if they are suitable for the new unit.

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