New chair in dementia at the Institute of Mental Health in Nottingham

The Institute of Mental Health in Nottingham has appointed Dr Tom Dening as its chair in dementia, a new position which is jointly funded by Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Barchester Healthcare.

Dr Dening will take up the new post at the beginning of October and is currently a consultant psychiatrist in old age psychiatry in Cambridge and an associated lecturer at Cambridge University.

He studied medicine at Newcastle University and trained in psychiatry in Cambridge and Oxford. Seconded part-time from 1999 to 2002 to the Department of Health as a Senior Professional Advisor, Dr Dening worked on the National Service Framework for Older People. He has also been medical director of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (2002-2011).

His interests include the epidemiology of mental disorders in older people, treatment of dementia and depression in older people, psychiatric services and care homes.

He is one of the editors of the Oxford Textbook of Old Age Psychiatry, the leading international work in this field, and of Mental Health in Care Homes (OUP, 2011). He has also published papers on neuropsychiatry, psychiatric symptoms and the history of psychiatry.

On his new role as chair in dementia, he said: "I am very excited at this new appointment. The partnership between Barchester and Nottinghamshire Healthcare is enterprising and reflects the commitment of both organisations to excellence in care for people with dementia.

“The Institute of Mental Health is another great partnership between the University and the NHS, so I am really looking forward to joining a great team. There is so much to do to improve the lives of people with dementia and their families and to provide them with better care. After all, everybody knows someone who is affected by dementia. It is a huge challenge to us all and making sure that we co-ordinate our efforts is really important."

The sponsors, Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Barchester Healthcare are delighted to fund the dementia role, which will sit within the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), which is a partnership between the University and Nottinghamshire Healthcare. The role will develop and lead to a programme of research that will have a demonstrable impact on the well-being and quality of care of people with dementia.

Professor Mike Cooke CBE, chief executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare, said: "We are delighted to have appointed Dr Dening as chair in dementia, in partnership with Barchester Healthcare. He brings a wealth of experience to this very important role, which will have a significant impact on improving the lives of people with dementia, putting research into practice to ensure the highest quality care."

Mike Parsons, chief executive of Barchester Healthcare, said: "It is a pleasure to work with like-minded organisations that all have a strong commitment to enhancing the quality of life of people living with dementia, their care workers and relatives. We are also keen to help meet The Prime Minister's 'Challenge on Dementia', promoting greater awareness, advice resources, peer support and the development of dementia friendly communities."