IT may seem strange to be cutting the number of beds for people with dementia at a time when the illness is on the rise.

However, leaders at Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust which manages mental health services and the county’s five community hospitals, believe better care can be delivered closer to home or even at home instead of hospital.

Figures published by the Alzheimer’s Society suggest there were 7,967 people with dementia in Worcestershire in 2011 but this is projected to rise to 11,108 by 2021 as the county’s population ages.

Matt Stringer, leader of the trust’s community care unit, said: “We recognise that most people with dementia can live relatively normal lives and so unless their needs become complex, it is perfectly appropriate for them to continue living at home.

“What we are doing in Worcestershire is developing the support available to help people stay at home for longer. Our community teams are able to go out to people’s homes and provide the care and treatment that a few years ago that person may have received in hospital.”

He said investment in dementia care advisers, Admiral Nurses and specialist older adult nurses among others, means services and treatment will still meet high standards.

The strategy of supporting more people at home, or as close to home as possible, is not restricted to those with dementia and other mental health illnesses but part of the general approach to care so ward beds are filled with those who need them most.

Dr Bernie Coope, the trust’s lead consultant of older adult mental health, said: “People with a poor memory can find being in hospital very stressful and unsettling. Sometimes hospital can have its place but all our efforts are focused on trying to help people stay out of hospital if there is another way of providing treatment. One way to do this is to try to prevent problems growing into a crisis. This may mean doing a lot of work with people with dementia and their families to help them find the skills and confidence to live as well as possible.”

An early diagnosis followed by advice and support from Admiral Nurses, dementia advisers and dementia cafés can play a part in this. Specialist nurse teams going in to support care homes is another example of how the difficulties some people experience with dementia can be helped without them being admitted to a ward. Dr Coope said: “The more we work this way the fewer hospital beds we find we need.”

Earlier this year the trust agreed to the permanent closure of the Berkeley Ward, a dementia ward at Newtown Hospital in Worcester. The ward was temporarily closed in 2011 due to a lack of demand which was a direct consequence of more people being looked after at home. At one point there were only three patients in its 18 beds.

Trust bosses told leaders of the watchdog, the health overview and scrutiny vcommittee, that “there is no evidence to suggest the downwards trends in admissions will change”. The view from experts in the NHS is that admission will only be needed for high risk patients.

Over the last four years the number of people being seen in their own homes by nursing staff in Worcestershire has increased by 2,000.

Jim Bulman, chairman of South Worcestershire Rural Community Forum, said: “At first I know lots of people were concerned that with dementia in particular on the rise, the trust was potentially reducing support by reducing beds. However, the opposite is true. Support is being enhanced and instead of having to sit on a hospital ward, people with dementia and other mental health illnesses are treated at home in a familiar environment.”

For those who need hospital or inpatient treatment a new unit is being developed in Bromsgrove to treat people with more complex mental health illnesses and help and support people so they can return home when safe.

The unit is being billed as a centre of excellence for the county and is on course to be completed this summer.