We start the Public Health Film Festival this year with a screening of Barbara’s Story, the award winning story of one woman’s journey with dementia through the health care system.
The number of people who are living with dementia is rising as the population is ageing. It is estimated that there 35 million people with dementia worldwide, and this figure is set to double in the next 20 years to 65 million by 2030.
As dementia is primarily a condition that affects older people, many people with dementia have other conditions common to old age that precipitate hospital admission, and their concurrent dementia affects their treatment, care and recovery.
The UK Department of Health’s National Strategy for Dementia identified improved hospital care as one of the targets for improvement.
In 2012, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust embarked on a campaign to raise awareness of dementia and the care of older people through a series of specially commissioned films from White Boat TV called ‘Barbara’s Story: her whole journey’.
The first film in the series was shown from September 2012 to April 2013 and attendance was mandatory for all Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust staff: a total of 11,054 clinical and non-clinical staff attended. Barbara’s Story was also embedded into the corporate induction programme for new Trust staff. At each session, Barbara’s Story was shown, along with some group discussion and distribution of Alzheimer’s Society resources, Trust safeguarding and dementia and delirium information, and the Trust values and behaviours framework.
With funding from the Burdett Trust for Nursing, a second series of films was developed. These show Barbara’s health deteriorating and she receives care in hospital and community settings. From September 2013-March 2014, the films were shown, with one new episode available each month. Safeguarding team members facilitated a discussion after the film and highlighted key learning points.
In this special screening organised with the Oxford Brookes Department of Nursing, The Royal College of Nursing and Public Health England, we will be screening different episodes of Barbara’s Story and talking to Dame Eileen Sills, Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Experience at Guy’s and St Thomas’, who led the team that commissioned the film, Chris Godwin, Creative Director at White Boat TV which produced the film and Professor Lesley Baillie, Florence Nightingale Foundation Chair of Clinical Nursing Practice at London South Bank University who led the research team involved in the evaluation of the impact of the film.
The screening will be held at 5-8pm on Friday 11th November in the Main Lecture Theatre on the Oxford Brookes University, Marston Road Site, Jack Straw’s Lane OX3 0FL. (Drinks reception between 5-6pm)
To book your FREE tickets click here.