Role of Admiral Nurses in supporting people with learning disabilities and dementia
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Role of Admiral Nurses in supporting people with learning disabilities and dementia

Victoria Lyons Senior consultant and Admiral Nurse, Dementia UK, London, England
Emily Oliver Lead nurse for Dementia, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, England
Chris Knifton Associate professor (dementia studies), learning disability nurse and Admiral Nurse, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, England
Sue Molesworth Insights and evaluation advisor, insights and evaluation team, Dementia UK, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To identify the challenges commonly experienced by people with learning disabilities and dementia

  • To understand the support that may be provided by Admiral Nurses in learning disability services

  • To be aware of the expected outcomes of Admiral Nurse services

The average age of people with learning disabilities is increasing, meaning that the number of people with learning disabilities and dementia is also rising. The care trajectory for people with learning disabilities and dementia is complex, starting with challenges in obtaining an appropriate diagnosis through to receiving appropriate and high-quality end of life care. The charity Dementia UK recognises the issues that families experience when someone in their family has a learning disability and dementia, and has developed a model of care in which Admiral Nurses, who are specialist dementia nurses, work in learning disability services. This article explores the role of the Admiral Nurse in learning disability services and examines the areas in which these specialist nurses provide tailored support. The article also outlines the expected outcomes of the service provided by these nurses.

Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2022.e2180

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@viclyons

Correspondence

victoria.lyons@dementiauk.org

Conflict of interest

Two of the authors (VL and CK) are Admiral Nurses. The views expressed in this article are their own

Lyons V, Oliver E, Knifton C et al (2022) Role of Admiral Nurses in supporting people with learning disabilities and dementia. Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2022.e2180

Published online: 12 May 2022

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