Marie Curie West Glamorgan Dementia Care and Respite Service
Last updated: 10 October 2025
What is the project?
This preventative service provides support to people living with late-stage dementia in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot and their carers to help prevent escalation of need and crisis resulting in admission to hospital or a care home.
The service is made up of two integrated parts. One is a healthcare assistant element, which is overseen by a Registered Nurse and provides care and respite as part of a registered domiciliary support service. Care includes support with personal care needs and assistance with routine medicines, as well as providing emotional well-being support.
The second element is a volunteer companion service which provides respite by trained volunteers. The volunteers help the people they support to maintain their social networks, enjoy their hobbies and reminisce, while also providing respite care for their family members.
Volunteers are matched with the people they support based on shared interests and values.
The service’s strengths-based approach puts the supported person at the heart of every decision, helping them safely maintain their independence.
The project was a highly commended finalist in the ‘Working to the principles of strengths-based practice’ category at our 2025 Accolades awards ceremony.
We’re now welcoming entries and nominations for the 2026 Accolades. Head over to our main website to find out more.
Video transcript -
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The Marie Curie West Glamorgan Dementia Care and Respite Service is an integrated service comprising of a clinical and a volunteer element.
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The service is very much about supporting people living with late stages of dementia, but also importantly, their carers.
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When we receive a referral for the companionship service, a big part of that service working is our volunteer matching process.
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It's very, very holistic. It's based on what I know about the client and what I know about the volunteer.
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It's all about the individual rather than the diagnosis and the situation.
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You come out of a call and you know you've made a difference, you know because you see it on the expressions of the faces of the person with dementia or with their carer
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Just a little special moment of thinking, yeah, this is a very rewarding job because you know you're making a difference because the unpaid carers are thereal heroes of this situation I think.
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It's the visits, it's the friendliness, it's the availability.
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I know I've only got to pick up the phone and say we have a problem, and I know she would do her best to help us out straight away.
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Because I live away, it just means that I feel that my sister and Marilyn are wrapped in love.
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They're a part of us now.
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They're welcome any time.
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It's somebody different to talk to and to see and that's a big thing, really, it's keeping us in the picture.
Why is it being carried out?
The aim of the service is to provide support to people living with late-stage dementia and their carers to prevent an escalation of care.
Marie Curie started the service because more people than ever are living with dementia and they felt there wasn’t enough care in the community for them.
They recognised the rising number of people who needed support in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot and wanted to provide that support, so that people could remain at home for as long as possible.
They also wanted to provide support to their carers, to enhance their well-being and give them a break from their caring responsibilities.
Where and when is the work taking place?
This work is being carried out in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
The service started in October 2022 and Marie Curie would like to see the service expanded to other parts of Wales, given the growing numbers of people and their carers living with dementia.
Who’s involved?
Marie Curie is responsible for delivering and developing the service. The organisation also works in partnership with other health and care organisations, including the Swansea Bay University Health Board, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea local authorities and the third sector, such as the Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia Hwb.
Marie Curie has also worked with Yma , which has independently evaluated the project to help inform the ongoing development of the service and help evidence the outcomes.
The West Glamorgan Regional Partnership Board has provided funding towards the cost of delivering the service.
What have they learned from the project?
The team at Marie Curie feel that the key to the success of the service is the integration of its volunteer element and clinical service.
The project’s volunteer companions provide support, but people can also be referred to its clinical service, which is overseen by a registered nurse and supported by healthcare assistants.
The system means that the team have been able to prevent escalations of care, avoiding admissions to hospital or care homes.
The main challenge the team has faced is recruiting volunteers and keeping up with demand for the service.
To try to overcome that challenge, the team worked hard to build networks with other organisations and developed effective partnerships with colleges and employment centres. They did this to encourage younger volunteers who, by volunteering, could build up the confidence, skills and experience to support them in a health or social care career.
The team feel more respite services are needed across Wales to enable carers to continue to support people.
Assistant Director Rachel Jones said: “I’m most proud that we started this service from nothing. We’ve worked really hard to build this service up.
“We’ve made a real difference to families and we know that from the feedback we receive. We know that we’ve enabled people to stay at home, which by and large is where people want to be.
“The success of this service has been placing what matters to people living with dementia at the heart of the support we offer. This, alongside an integrated clinical and volunteer service, and our co-ordination hub which organises all of the care, is very much a team effort. We all work together to bring that real value to families.”
Get in touch
For more information about this project, please contact Rachel Jones at Marie Curie on rachel.jones1@mariecurie.org.uk.
Find out more
Contact name:
Rachel Jones