NURSE WHO DOES PATIENTS’ WASHING

‘FOR Anita, it’s not about dying from dementia, it’s about living with it to the end with dignity that matters,’ says a colleague. ‘I left a better-paid job to work for her because she is so inspirational.’

What makes Anita Ruckledge MBE, dementia lead nurse at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, so remarkable is what she does beyond the call of duty, say families and her fellow workers.

‘If a patient has no family, Anita takes their washing home to ensure they’re dressed cleanly and appropriately,’ a colleague told us.

‘She also set up a dignity cupboard of new clothes for those who have none, funded by car boot sales and sponsored walks she does on weekends.’

Anita, who’s spent her entire working life at Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield, since joining the NHS at 17, also helped to design a 41-bed dementiafriendly ward at the hospital.

Among many other innovations such as a ‘pop-up’ vintage tea room to stimulate happy memories, she introduced family support suites where loved ones can stay. ‘I’d seen families sleeping on the floor and thought that was not right,’ says Anita. Hers was the first hospital to do this for endof-life care and distressed patients with dementia.

Her phone is ‘ never switched off’, so relatives can call her at any time.

On her days off, Anita, 60, travels the country giving talks to raise awareness about dementia and patient

care. Nev Frost, whose father Edward was cared for by Anita in the final weeks before his death in 2015, explains why he nominated her: ‘Until you have a loved one die, or have dementia, you don’t think about this area of medicine.

‘Anita has to fight for everything, but she is so dedicated and treats each patient with such compassion.’

Anita describes dementia care as her ‘passion’. ‘It is a privilege to do the work I do,’ she says. ‘It’s not a job, it’s a vocation. I want our elderly to be treated with respect and compassion.’