DEMENTIA patients will be at the heart of this year's drive to improve the quality of care by Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

Two of the nine priorities for 2013/14, as set out in the trust's Quality Account, are designed to strengthen services for people with Alzheimer's and similar conditions.

The priorities have been chosen to reflect that two out of five hospital inpatients have some form of dementia, with that proportion likely to rise as the population ages over coming years.

The first two priorities adopted by the trust this year are to improve screening and assessment for dementia patients as they come into hospital, and to improve the care environments for patients with dementia.

The nine priorities were chosen after staff, trust members and the wider public had been asked for their views. Next year's Quality Account will report on progress against each priority.

Carolyn Mills, the trust's director of nursing, said: 'It's clear that dementia care is becoming more and more important for the public as well as for our own staff.

'Everyone knows somebody who's been affected, and wants to be reassured that they'll get the best treatment when they do into hospital.

'We've already made a lot of progress in the past few years, but the rising number of patients who show signs of dementia when they come into hospital means we have to do more.

'We're committed to make sure that everyone gets the care they need in hospital, and that they and their families are better prepared for life after they go home again.

'But our priorities for this year go much wider than dementia.

'I'd encourage anyone to look at the whole Quality Account to see what else we're trying to do, and to give their views when we come around to setting new priorities next year."

The full Quality Account is available on the 'Reports' section of the Trust website, http://www.northdevonhealth.nhs.uk">www.northdevonhealth.nhs.uk