Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub Steering Group terms of reference

Anne Patterson, Team Manager, Memory Assessment and Community Dementia Service

This is a multi-disciplinary service run jointly with Coventry City Council who provide social care staff to the service. The Service carries out memory assessments, post-diagnostic groups and 1-1 interventions including commencing dementia medication, Occupational Therapy assessment and interventions, Psychology assessment and interventions and social care assessments and support with arranging care.

April Ross, Service Manager, Coventry City Council - Chair

I am a Service Manager for Coventry City Council, Internally Provided Services covering our in house Older Adults, Dementia and Reablement Services. I am responsible for range of services from 6 Housing with Care, a Dementia Care home, Telecare Responder service as well as day services for older adults. The hub has been developed from one of the day services; Maymorn day centre and has enabled us to work with a wide range of organisations, people living with dementia, professionals, and carers. The hub was co produced with people living well with dementia and as the chair, I am passionate about continuing to work with them on the steering group to ensure people with dementia’s voices are heard.

It is a privilege to work with so many talented and committed people to oversee the continuous development of the hub, ensuring we are able to respond to the changing needs of people with dementia and their carers. I am especially keen to progress the hub to target minority ethnic groups, breaking down barriers preventing under represented groups from accessing our services.

Catherine Winter, Vulnerability, Early Help & Referral Officer, Coventry Police Partnership Team

I work for West Midlands Police as the Vulnerability, Early Help and Referral Officer within the Partnerships Connect & Build Team. I work closely with a vast range of partner agencies and third sector organisations to find appropriate pathways in which to support vulnerable individuals who have had police contact. I provide support to Coventry police officers by offering advice and making introductions to partners along with joint visits to individuals requiring support where assessments as to their well-being and/or general health can be made in greater detail.

Chloe Elliot, Commissioning Officer, Coventry City Council

Dave Atkins, Dementia Champion

I am a steering committee member for the Dementia Hub based in Coventry in the support of people with memory deficit and dementia. I became a member of the dementia Hub steering group because of my own past and to involve myself in the future to become a positive experience not a negative experience.
I was diagnosed with early onset dementia some eight years ago.
It took me about two years to manage my emotions after this devastating news.
After the first two years, I thought I want to champion my condition and show how I manage and cope with my Diagnosis of Vascular and Alzheimer's dementia. The cause of my dementia was traumatic brain injury caused by a road traffic when I was 8 years old.
I am also supported by the Alzheimer's society Focus on Dementia Group and Coventry City Council to live well in the community with dementia.
Let's dispel the myth around dementia post diagnosis I am still me and don't need to be seen as of no use to the community, the elephant in the room conversation.
Let's love life and hope for better future, let's continue to live safely in the community living with Dementia.
Let's all work together to enrich people lives and make a difference now and in the future.
You're not alone.

Debbie Farrell, Unit Manager, Coventry City Council - Vice Chair

Hi, I am Debbie Farrell and I am the manager of the Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub and the Vice chair of the steering group. I have worked for Coventry City Council for over 30 years in various locations, but my passion has always been working with people with a diagnosis of Dementia. I am excited about the development of the Hub and what the future will bring to people of Coventry and want to get the message out there that “People can live well with Dementia” I look forward to working with all the other partners to make this an amazing service.

Dr Claire Pavlou, Clinical Lead for Young Onset Dementia, Memory Assessment and Community Dementia Service

I provide neuropsychological assessments to help inform diagnosis and understand people’s specific areas of strength and difficulty to guide interventions to optimise health and well-being. I work with adults of all ages with a diagnosis of dementia and their families. I also work closely with colleagues in local neurosciences services at local hospitals, and with our local universities to support teaching and research. I am passionate about my work and hope to keep learning from it every day.

Dr Elishia Clements, Clinical Psychologist, Memory Assessment and Community Dementia Service

Like Dr Julie Heaton, I work in the Memory Assessment and Community Dementia Service covering the Coventry locality and work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues, the Alzheimer’s society and Admiral Nurse service . I am involved in the assessment and diagnosis of dementia such as carrying out detailed neuropsychological assessments. I work with people living with dementia and their families and this can involve individual, family or group support where perhaps there may be difficulties with adjusting to diagnosis, understanding the impact of dementia, and how best to support someone living with dementia. I also work with care home providers and offer functional assessments and interventions to support staff teams to understand the possible functions and unmet needs when someone is presenting with distressed behaviours. I am passionate about reducing stigma associated with dementia and supporting people living with dementia and their families.

Evadne Headley, Hope in Unity

Hope in Unity is a Social Enterprise providing a service to Black elders in the community who have been diagnosed with the early stages of Dementia and those who are socially isolated, vulnerable and lonely (but not exclusive to those who are faced with these situations). We are committed to providing a unique and culturally supportive service by helping to change attitudes and behaviours, reaching those that do not access mainstream services, helping them to overcome challenges and signpost to relevant services. Our service is user led as we continue to strive to reduce social isolation and improve quality of life, providing practical help and support in promoting the benefits of skills development, Health and Wellbeing.

Dr Julie Heaton, Principal Clinical Psychologist, Memory Assessment and Community Dementia Service

I work in the Memory Assessment and Community Dementia Service covering the Coventry locality. I work very closely with my multidisciplinary colleagues and with the Alzheimer’s society and Admiral Nurse service. I am involved in the assessment and diagnosis of dementia, tending to carry out more detailed neuropsychological assessments where presentations are perhaps more complex. I also work with people with dementia and their families post diagnosis and this can involve individual, family or group support where perhaps there may be difficulties with adjusting to diagnosis, understanding the impact of dementia, and how best to support someone living with dementia. The role is very varied and I am passionate about helping people living with dementia, families and professionals understand, live and support as well as possible.

Ellie Parry, Police Community Support Officer, Coventry Police Partnership Team

I work for West Midlands Police and have been a Police Community Support Officer for 15 years working on the Local Neighbourhood Team in Coventry. I have recently moved over to the Partnerships Connect & Build Team where I now work more closely with partners and agencies. I have various duties within my role and I work with a variety of different communities from schools right through to the elderly it is a very varied role. I also work closely with Cat Winter who is the West Midlands Police Vulnerable Persons Officer.

 

Carol Pinnegar, Good Neighbours Scheme, Memory Lane Coordinator

Good Neighbours offers a befriender to visit people who are lonely and isolated in their own homes but it was becoming difficult to match to people with dementia. Good Neighbours started Memory Lane to give people a place to go and meet others for a friendly chat.
Carol and her team of friendly volunteers run 2 dementia friendly social events called Memory Lane for people living with dementia and their carer. The groups meet in Lawrence Saunders Baptist Church every Friday and in Woodside Methodist Church Finham fortnightly on Tuesdays.
The kettle is always on! It’s a safe and supportive place for people to make new friends, play games, try crafts and enjoy music and for carers to find their own support network with others in a similar situation.

Tim Kindred, Service Manager, Alzheimer's Society

Tim joined the Alzheimer's Society in 2018 following a career background in multi -site leisure management and most recently 17 years of working in a Special needs school supporting children and young adults with severe to profound multiple learning difficulties as a Family support officer, additionally providing music therapy and interaction in my role. This led to working with the Alzheimers Society to help support the lives of carers and those with a diagnosis of Dementia. I am the local service manager for Coventry supporting a wonderful team of Dementia advisers and a group coordinator delivering a range of support and information groups across Coventry as well as one to one dementia support to carers and those with a diagnosis of dementia with more complex support needs. ”.

John Szyndler, Business Development Manager, Sky Blues in the Community

I am the Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager for Sky Blues in the Community.  I have worked in mental health for over ten years and have experience in managing a homeless charity, counselling, mentoring, and providing emotional support to vulnerable adults of all ages.

As manager of the health department at SBITC, one of my roles is to manage and oversee various programmes we run in the community.

One of these is Dementia Active.  Dementia Active is a free weekly session aimed at men, or women, who have been diagnosed with a form of dementia or memory loss.  During the sessions, participants can take part in various physical activities including badminton, table tennis, soft archery, bocchia and various board and card games. 

At SBITC we believe these sessions are provide a valuable outlet to attendees in that they can get active in the community, also meet new people and at the same time provide respite to carers and or family members.

I look forward to my new role as Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager with SBITC and hoping to make a positive impact moving forward.

Lena Tovey, Assistant Manager, Coventry City Council

I am the assistant Manager of Coventry Dementia partnership hub and a member of the steering group. I manage the daily running of Maymorn day centre and outreach support in the community. I am excited about the Coventry Dementia partnership hub as I think it will be a great asset to the people of Coventry for people with Dementia or waiting on a diagnosis and their carers.
The hub will enable them to access a resource of information and get the support they need. The hub is going to make a big difference to people’s lives and I’m sure in the near future will be recognised as a centre of excellence for Coventry and its community and I am proud to be able to be part of that.

Lion Shashi Prasad, Lead Community Services, Lions Club of Coventry Godiva

I am a member of Lions Club of Coventry Godiva which is part of Lions International, the largest service organisation in the world. As the current lead for community services, I have organized dementia awareness events in collaboration with Alzheimer's UK, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Dementia UK and the nascent Coventry Dementia Hub. I am keenly interested in shaping the policies and development of the Dementia Hub.

Melanie Boag, Deputy CEO, Carer’s Trust, Heart of England

My name is Mel Boag, I am Deputy CEO for Carers Trust Heart of England and Operations Director.  Carers Trust keeps carers at the heart of everything it does by involving them in the development of the service to ensure services meet their needs, championing carers views and keeping them informed. Our core service support carers with advice, information and support alongside carers assessments, groups and activities.

 

Moira McCall, Dementia Champion

My name is Moira McCall I am 70 years old and was diagnosed with Early Onset Vascular Dementia 3 years ago during lockdown! It was a total shock I still sometimes don’t believe it. I joined online with the Focus on Dementia group run by Sharon and Tina (where I met David Atkins). We also attend the Activity Group on a weekly basis run by Fiona, a brilliant lady - I now volunteer at that group and a monthly group.

I have attended various groups and meet ups and training on Dementia. I have been interviewed but it was not used for both tv and a magazine article! My aim for the hub is to spread the word that diagnosis of dementia in whichever form need not be "the end" but a new beginning. I am passionate and excited about this new venture. It’s an important and extremely good opportunity to get all organisations together and to reach out to both young and not so young people, carers, professionals, and organisations to work together to provide a central link and information portal plus access to enable me and you out there now with a new diagnosis to be helped and encouraged to realise help is out there.

Moira played a huge part in the development of The Dementia Partnership Hub. She sadly passed away on 19 January 2024 and her presence is missed. We thank you Moira for all your support.

Ruth Chauhan, Dementia/Health & Wellbeing Specialist at AmbaCare Solutions.

We are a not for profit voluntary organisation based in the West Midlands delivering services which support people to optimise their physical and mental wellbeing. At AmbaCare Solutions our ‘Here 4 U’ dementia services support people living with dementia to take part in individual and group activities that will keep their mind active to improve memory and cognition to delay the progression of dementia. We also understand how stressful it can be caring for someone living with dementia on a daily basis therefore we provide befriending services (Dementia Buddies) for the person living with dementia to give carers time to recharge their batteries. We believe that everyone is unique and tailor our solutions to acknowledge and embrace diversity in a positive way, believing that we can all learn from each other. We have a particular interest and expertise in providing dementia services to minority ethnic groups and are keen to ensure equity of opportunity to all through the provision of culturally competent and inclusive services. We are committed to working with and through the Dementia Hub to make this a reality. I have dementia, having being diagnosed in 2021. My passion is to show by example that, despite living with a ‘new normal’ and having to make adaptions to get through each day, it is possible to live as well as you can, and continue to work, with dementia.

Sohan Singh, Social Worker, Memory Assessment Team

I am a social worker at the Arden Memory and Dementia Services Coventry. I work part time and I do community health voluntary work in Coventry in dementia and mental health as a Dementia friend and a Dementia Champion. My brief experience of supporting my late grandmother long arm and briefly in India inspired me to give my social work professional skills and experience to community mental health.

I have been a social worker since 1983 and worked with children before this from 1980 with the National Children’s Home. I first worked with a person with dementia in London during these early days in London with Wandsworth Borough Council (1983-1988); I trained as an Approved Social Worker working with mental ill -health in the community and in hospitals. I returned to work specially in Community Mental Health in 2010 after working as a senior Practitioner in the Adoption Fostering Services in Coventry (1996-2010). Between this I was a lecturer/tutor on the CSS and then the Diploma in Social Work course at the Bournville College of FE in South Birmingham. I am a qualified Approved Mental Health Professional but no longer currently practising in this role and  I am a Best Interests assessor practising under the Mental Capacity Act. As a social worker I work on Duty addressing urgent needs of those with dementia and their families and carers – supporting them with their care assessments and care planning and often managing complex risks involved with dementia and mental health and how these are to be addressed, in the community or hospital care with care packages and possible residential care.

Jake Tinsley, Watch Manager Foleshill Fire Station 

The fire crew from Foleshill will be at The Hub to answer questions about fire safety, making an escape plan and staying safe at home. We can also arrange for a free home safety check where firefighters will attend the person's home and give bespoke advice based on their circumstances. At these visits we will check smoke alarms and provide new ones (free of charge) where required. If needed we can also provide alarms for people with a hearing impairment, fire resistant throws, fire resistant bedding and other fire safety equipment.

Stuart Jennings 

Stuart’s involvement began in 1982 when his father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 58.  Four of his siblings also went on to develop Alzheimer’s in their mid 50s.

Supporting his wife Carol, she went on to help identify a rare form of genetic dementia. Unfortunately Carol also had the gene and Stuart went on to care for her at home for four years into her death in March 2024.  Both Carol (whilst alive) and Stuart are honorary Vice Presidents of the Alzheimer’s Society and Stuart is also an advisor to Alzheimer’s Research UK also. 

Natasha Allan

I joined the Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub team in May ’24 as a Senior Administrator. It gives me great pleasure to work in the Hub and see the impact it’s making for the people who come to use the services, the biggest proof of it is seeing big smiles on people's faces and watching them engaging and having a lovely time. I feel privileged to be able to be a part of the steering group, see the effort put into actively changing people’s lives for the better.