Leading dementia care expert joins Priory care homes

The Priory Group has reinforced its commitment to the quality of its care for older people with the appointment of leading dementia care consultant Dr Dan Nightingale.    He joins the group as Head of Dementia Services for Care Homes for Older People.

The company is developing a range of high quality care homes offering long-term, short-term and respite nursing care for older people who are physically frail or living with dementia related disorders.

It currently operates 7 homes in England and Northern Ireland with plans for a similar number to open before the end of 2010 and double this by the end of 2011.

Dr Nightingale is well-known throughout the field of dementia care.     He is head of the Faculty of Dementia at the National Register of Hypnotherapists and specialist tutor at the National College.   He was also one of the consultants involved in the All Party Political Group Inquiry into the use of antipsychotic medicines in nursing and care homes.

Most recently he has published the Nightingale Model of Enriched Care and completed a pilot project on the use of Montessori in Dementia Care.

His responsibility will be to grow and develop the Priory Group’s dementia care strategy as the care homes division expands, lead the training and development of staff and introduce his philosophy of person-centred cares to all the homes.   He joins from Southern Cross Healthcare where he was a dementia consultant.

Sharon Butler, managing director of Priory Care Homes Division said:   “I am delighted that Dr Nightingale has agreed to join the team at Priory Care Homes.

“Priory Group is bringing its mix of skills and experience in mental health care to the elderly care sector but Dr Nightingale’s particular expertise in the field of dementia care will greatly enhance our services.

“He will be working with all our homes and staff teams to introduce exciting and pioneering ways of caring for people living with dementia built around treating people as individuals and engaging positively with them and their families.”

Dr Nightingale said:   “I am looking forward to working with the team at the Priory Group and establishing our homes as centres of excellence for dementia care.

“I will be working with each home to ensure that the environment and the care is consistent with holistic care strategies that focus on a humanistic, non-medicalised approach.”


Notes to editors:

The Priory Group is the UK’s leading independent provider of acute mental health services, secure and step-down services, specialist education, complex care and neuro-rehabilitation services, working in partnership with the public and independent sectors.

Priory's acute psychiatric hospitals offer a comprehensive range of successful, evidence-based inpatient, outpatient and day patient treatment programmes and therapy services for a wide variety of mental health issues, including depression, addictions, eating disorders and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

Priory Secure Services is a specialist provider of secure mental health services working in partnership with the NHS.

Priory's complex care hospitals and neuro-rehabilitation centres treat people with enduring mental and physical illnesses, restricted mobility and challenging behaviours that are often the result of organic, degenerative or neurological problems and whose needs cannot be met in conventional environments.  Priory's neuro-rehabilitation centres care for people with a wide range of acquired or progressive neurological disorders, including brain injuries and illness, spinal injuries, brain haemorrhages and stroke.

Priory Education Services is the UK's leading independent provider of specialist education and care for children and young people aged four to 35 with Asperger's Syndrome (AS), autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) and specific learning difficulties associated with dyslexia.