Bupa supports development of community dementia care

Leading health and care company, Bupa is pledging over one million pounds to help the development of specialist Admiral Nursing services in England to support families affected by dementia.

The first Bupa supported service is being launched this month in East Kent.

Admiral Nurses have specialist mental health training and work in the community with families affected by dementia, assisting carers by providing nursing advice, access to legal and financial information, emotional support, end-of-life care and bereavement counselling.

Admiral Nurses are supported by for dementia, a national charity that works with the NHS to help bring Admiral Nursing services to as many communities across the country as possible.

Bupa's million pound plus donation will help fund the development of three new teams of Admiral Nurses in England.

The first team will serve the East Kent region and is being launched this month in partnership with the Eastern and Coastal Primary Care Trust and Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.

Bupa and for dementia's plans are also well advanced for a second team of Admiral Nurses in Southern England with the likelihood of a third team in London in 2009.

Commenting on Bupa's donation, Dr Clive Bowman, medical director at Bupa Care Services said: "As a leading provider of dementia care in specialist homes, Bupa understands the impact dementia has in the community and the important contribution Admiral Nurses make in helping families to navigate and cope with the challenges presented by the disease.

We are proud to have pledged over ?1 million to help fund three new teams of Admiral Nurses - we know the support, comfort and help they provide will be invaluable." Barbara Stephens, chief executive of for dementia, the charity behind Admiral Nurses, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have received this significant donation from Bupa, the first tranche of which we are using to support the launch of the Admiral Nursing service in East Kent.

The launch of this new service has been achieved through good partnership working with Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust and we are grateful for the support of the Eastern and Coastal Primary Care Trust.

The financial help that Bupa is providing is invaluable in making Admiral Nurses available to more carers and persons with dementia - those who so desperately need the expert help that Admiral Nurses provide." Bupa's donation to Admiral Nurses is a part of its "Bupa Giving" charitable initiative, which was set up to mark the company's 60th anniversary in 2007 and aims to give ?3 million each year to good causes worldwide.

"Bupa Giving" is a part of Bupa's wider corporate social responsibility programme, which includes the company donating more than one percent of its pre-tax profits to charity and 4,000 of its staff undertaking volunteering activities in their local communities each year.

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