The specialist dementia nursing charity Dementia UK and Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have announced that the Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh Admiral Nurse service will reopen for referrals on Monday 19 May 2025.

The service will be jointly funded by the League of Friends of Exmouth Hospital, the League of Friends of the Budleigh Salterton Hospital, Dementia UK, and the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Two new admiral nurses have been appointed to deliver the service. Rachel Oakley and Hollie Prowse will support families affected by dementia who have complex needs – supporting people in their own homes, across care transitions, and delivering clinics at Exmouth Hospital and Seachange in Budleigh Salterton.

Dementia is a complex condition, unique to every individual and their family. The admiral nurse service will offer specialist, expert advice and guidance to support family and friends in their caring role.

Referrals to the service are available if the person with dementia is registered with the Budleigh Salterton, Haldon, Imperial, Rolle, or Woodbury GP practices. Carers can contact healthcare professionals at these practices who will make a referral on their behalf.

The two new admiral nurses said: “We are excited to relaunch this specialist service for local families and to be there when we are most needed. Often, a hospital admission is the only answer when facing new and complex challenges and our role is to help families plan and prepare, and avert future crises.

“Our backgrounds are in adult and mental health nursing and we both have a passion for dementia care. We look forward to working with our health, social care and voluntary sector colleagues to improve the lives of people affected by dementia.”

In addition to this local service, Nationwide Building Society and Dementia UK are bringing free face-to-face clinics to Nationwide’s Exmouth branch on 20, 21 and 22 May, offering specialist support in a safe, comfortable and private space for people to discuss any aspect of dementia.

The clinics are open to anyone impacted by dementia, offering life-changing support to families and individuals in the area.

The Nationwide clinics will offer practical and emotional advice on all aspects of dementia – from worries about memory problems, understanding a diagnosis and how the condition can progress to help with financial and legal issues.

The Exmouth clinics are part of Nationwide’s social impact programme, Fairer Futures, which addresses three of the UK’s biggest social issues through charity partnerships – dementia (Dementia UK), youth homelessness (Centrepoint) and family poverty (Action for Children). Nationwide is funding 30 dementia-specialist Admiral Nurse posts through Dementia UK, and is hosting 200 pop-up clinics in branches across the country.

To book a confidential and in-person appointment with an Admiral Nurse in Exmouth, visit Dementia UK’s website. The clinics will visit:

• Exmouth, 10 Rolle Street EX8 1EY – 20, 21 and 22 May

Debbie Crosbie, Chief Executive Officer of Nationwide, said: “Nationwide wants to help people live their best life possible, for as long as possible. By working with Dementia UK to fund more Admiral Nurses and turning our branches into dementia clinics, we’re helping to tackle the country’s leading cause of death. As a mutual, we work for the good of society as well as our members. We believe this and Nationwide Fairer Futures will change hundreds of thousands of lives for the better.”