At St Andrew's we help to maximise functional ability and quality of life for people with Huntington’s Disease (HD) through holistic management of their psychiatric, cognitive and motor deficits.
Our specialist teams have a deep understanding of the physical, emotional and psychological impact of life with HD, and focus on maximising functional ability and quality of life, across a dedicated HD service from secure to locked environments.
The MDT utilise a range of treatment programmes and environments to help patients to re-gain social and interpersonal skills where possible while also supporting medical and physical healthcare needs, to assist a return to their community.
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The effects of HD are wide-ranging and change how people think, feel, speak, move, swallow and eat. These effects can be broadly grouped into three key elements of change, all of which affect how people with HD behave and determine their needs.
To help you to recognise and respond to these needs we have, in association with the Huntington's Disease Association, created a mini guide which you can download here.
With 39 beds across three dedicated HD units, and access to other wards within the Neuropsychiatry service, we can provide an individualised programme of treatment to adapt to the changing needs of patients over time. Each patient is surrounded by a comprehensive group of in-patient and community specialists to ensure they receive the most appropriate, tailored care.
As the first RAID® Centre of Excellence we incorporate the RAID® model principles in every interaction – positive, meaningful, engagement and reinforcement – to tailor care and understand each patient’s need.
We encourage the use of positive and pro-active strategies that decrease the likelihood of challenging behaviours and provide opportunities to engage patients in morale-boosting and positive discussions.
We provide tailored treatment for people with HD focusing on three core components; neuropsychiatry, cognitive deficits and physical / motor deficits. Our services include:
We also offer rapid assessment and admission for patients whose behavioural presentation or cognitive function has deteriorated and who require urgent stabilisation and intensive therapy in a safe environment.
Our programmes deliver treatment to support a return to community once the crisis period has subsided, and also offers a service for patients requiring a more extensive care package. View our brochure.
Our HD wards
Click below to download our resources
Our HD brochure Understanding HD - a quick reference guideOur HD wards