Skip to main content
YPWD page header - daisies

Admiral Nurses

What is an Admiral Nurse?  

Many years ago the family of Joseph Levy expressed their concern at the lack of support for families caring for somebody with dementia. Joseph was diagnosed with dementia and following his death the family launched a national charity with the aim of developing nurses who were employed to support families from diagnosis to “whenever they were needed”. Joseph Levy was known as “Admiral Joe” and today there are over 300 Admiral Nurses across the country supported by Dementia UK.

And why does YPWD need an Admiral Nurse?

YPWD was launched to address the gaps in service provision for younger people with dementia. Feedback clearly showed that carers were part of this gap in service provision; they wanted more support to come to terms with diagnosis, to manage the care of the person with dementia and in most cases find ways of coping and working with the person with dementia to maintain some quality of life.

What will the Admiral Nurse do?

The Admiral Nurse will provide a robust nursing assessment and work to address the needs of the carer; this can be through providing emotional and/or practical support. Intervention can be for 3 visits or many years; this is dependent on the individual. The Admiral Nurse will work with other members of the YPWD team, for example day respite or dementia support, as well as the local mental health and social care teams. The Admiral Nurse can also provide advice and consultancy to fellow professionals and carers.

How do I get referred to the Admiral Nurse?

Currently most referrals are generated by the Memory Clinics and the Community Mental Health teams across Berkshire; however referrals can come from any source including carers themselves. If you would like further information regarding this, please contact the Admiral Nurses direct (details below).  At the moment we do not have an Admiral Nurse in post within our Surrey operations, but we are looking to recruit and appoint in 2023.

If you are a carer for someone who has a diagnosis of young onset dementia and are reading this and feel that this support might be valuable, talk to your care co-ordinator. If not diagnosed and you suspect that there may be a problem, ask your GP for a memory assessment.

How do I contact an Admiral Nurse?


 

Lizzie Harrison - Admiral Nurse Berkshire West

 

Berkshire West

My name is Lizzie Harrison (pictured left) and I am the Admiral Nurse working with YPWD (Berkshire) in Berkshire West (Reading, Wokingham and west Berkshire).  This post was the first Admiral Nurse in Berkshire as well as the only Admiral Nurse offering a specialist service to younger people with dementia in the country when it commenced in 2013.  After the successful build up of the Admiral Nurse service from scratch, with the support of the YPWD team and Dementia UK, I very much hope to complement and continue to develop the service to support the often complex needs of families and loved ones living with young onset dementia.

You can contact Lizzie by e-mail: lizzie.harrison@berkshire.nhs.uk or telephone on 0118 949 5101.

 

East Admiral Nurse

 

 

 

 

Berkshire East

My name is Louise Costello and I am the Admiral Nurse working in East Berkshire (Bracknell, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead)

I have worked across services in Berkshire providing support for people with a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of dementia since 2012 within memory clinic and community mental health teams. I am looking forward to supporting the families and carers of individuals living with young onset dementia in East Berkshire.

I can be contacted on louise.costello@berkshire.nhs.uk and mobile 07810050233

An image of Jacqueline

 

 

Surrey Heath, NE Hants and Farnham

My name is Jacqueline Riddles and I am the Admiral Nurse working in Surrey Heath, NE Hants and Farnham areas.

I am a registered general and mental health nurse and have been nursing and supporting people in their communities for the past 40 years. I am delighted to have joined YPWD, adding to the amazing work the charity offers.

I can be contacted on: 07818 073 197 or by email on: Jacqueline.riddles@ypwd.info or Jacqueline.riddles@sabp.nhs.uk

Your GP or any other health professional can refer you to the Admiral Nursing Service using the referral form here or you can self-refer by calling or emailing on the above contact details.

 

Subscribe

* indicates required
Opt-in preferences

Subscriptions are covered by our privacy policy.

From Facebook

 

From Twitter