Restaurant-style buzzers could be used to stop dementia patients becoming “trapped” in A&E.
Rugby-based dementia nurse Victoria McGrath developed the pilot scheme, which would allow patients to leave waiting rooms with their carer and return when called.
She hopes the trial for ‘Wait Well’ will begin at University Hospital Coventry (UHCW), with the long-term aim of rolling it out across the UK.
McGrath said the idea was inspired by her experience of “seeing patients suffer in A&E”.
Under the proposal, patients who are assessed as clinically safe to leave the waiting area would be given a pager, allowing them to spend time elsewhere in the hospital while keeping their place in the queue.
“It’s a very difficult place for [dementia patients],” said McGrath. “I believe if they had some room and weren’t kept in one place, that would make a huge difference,” she said.
“The A&E environment can be very volatile and very scary, even for someone like me, and you’d think we’re used to it. God knows what people with dementia must be experiencing.
“I think giving them the chance to move around freely could help so much.”
The BBC has approached UHCW for comment.