Pat undertook research into rehabilitation in dementia care whilst working on a rehabilitation ward where people with dementia were denied rehabilitation based on their Mini Mental Test score, rather than abilities. This resulted in an adapted approach to rehabilitation in dementia care, which advocated a more individualised approach, that focused on what the person can do rather than on what they cannot do. Pat went on to implement this in conjunction with person centred approaches such as Tom Kitwood, Jane Verity, Gemma Jones, Dawn Brooker and David Sheard. 

Pat implemented Kitwood, Verity and Jones on acute dementia care units in the NHS, which resulted in high quality of care based on a person centred approach and there was also evidence of a reduction in behaviours that challenge. 

Pat led a ‘utopia’ dementia care home, where she implemented Kitwood, Jones and Verify models, which was similar to the work she had done in the NHS. This again resulted in high quality of care, a reduction in behaviours that challenge and more empowerment for people living with dementia and their loved ones. One of the things Pat implemented to empower people living with dementia and to promote a more person led approach was to ‘ban’ time within the care home, and that this needed to be viewed differently in dementia care, as not everyone living with dementia related to this. 

Pat also undertook an extensive piece of work, which involved a case study to identity the best approach to use to support a person living with dementia who had complex behaviours that challenge. This model was used successfully in the care home, and she continues to advocate the use of this. 

Pat developed the Brain Journey Dementia Care tool as part of a course with the Alzheimer’s’ Society where she was required to learn skills to become an effective dementia care trainer. The tool was used to enable staff to have a better understanding of the experiences of people living with dementia.

Pat developed an approach where she used critical championship and action learning in dementia care to enable practitioners to change their behaviours and perceptions of how they could support people living with dementia. The outcome of this was presented at the International Conference in Dementia Care at the University of Stirling in April 2007. Pat continues to utilise this approach and has now incorporated this into her ‘clinical and social depth meet person centred care and practice’ approach. 

Pat completed the work that she had been undertaking to enhance the behaviour that challenge model, which built on the work that she had done in 2004 and implemented in the care home. Pat had also used some of the strategies whilst working on an acute medical assessment ward to support people living with dementia in relation to undertaking differential diagnosis. The model was presented at the International Conference in Dementia care in Belfast Ireland. Pat later used this model on in all courses relating to managing behaviours that challenge this and also in the dementia book and continues to use this to support teams.

Pat worked with a number of care homes and supported in undertaking individualised skills analysis to identify gaps in knowledge and competences, which resulted in her undertaking evaluation research into the professional role of the Registered Manager and nurses. The outcome of this was the development of an educational and coaching course for registered manager and nurses in care homes.  The outcome of the evaluation research was the development of the Modern Registered Managers Journal,  which was launched in 2008. The journal was for registered managers and nurses in care homes which focused on leadership issues, dementia, mental health, learning disabilities and or autism, education and supervision. Pat pitched the journal concept to Dragon’s Den, and was accepted, however, withdrew from this process. She later pitched the journal to one of the Entrepreneurs on Dragon’s Den then, who highly commended Pat for her achievement, however, was not able to invest in this as this did not fit in with her portfolio. The Journal was later changed to Journal of Care and Nursing Home Leadership in 2015 and this is currently on hold. 

Pat also developed an advance course in dignity where she incorporated Kitwood’ Malignant Social Psychological behaviours and Positive Person Work behaviours using the critical companionship and action learning approach to highlight behaviours that threaten and promote dignity and again this was later explored further in her dementia book.  

Pat developed a model pathway of dementia care called Unique Life, Environment and World Pathway which focused on a person led approach to dementia based on the work done in the ‘utopia’ care home.  

Pat developed an educational coaching programme for care homes which focused on a number of core subjects, which included safeguarding, dementia care , managing behaviours that challenge, mental health, learning disabilities and or autism, a range of nursing subjects, and neurological conditions, which included practical applications of these. Pat was then one of the referred Providers for 2 local authorities and she supported the care homes to develop knowledge, competencies and skills relating to these subjects.

Pat developed an educational coaching programme for care homes which focused on a number of core subjects, which included safeguarding, dementia care , managing behaviours that challenge, mental health, learning disabilities and or autism, a range of nursing subjects, and neurological conditions, which included practical applications of these. Pat was then one of the referred Providers for 2 local authorities and she supported the care homes to develop knowledge, competencies and skills relating to these subjects.

Pat developed a tool that focused on managing people with complex needs, where there was no defined pathway which advocated the need to have joint up thinking and for agencies to have a governance, systems and processes in place to support people with complex needs. 

Pat developed a YouTube Channel to support leaders in health to help cope with the challenges of frontline work during Covid. The Channel is currently on hold and will be reopened in Sep 2025. 

Pat developed a quality and safeguarding impact assessment tool to support with the review of harm to patients during Covid. This was to be used to support systems and processes across the Southeast with regards to specialised commissioning. 

Pat developed a tool to recognise how organisations can identify improvement fatigue, where there are multiple agencies involved in supporting an organisation that was subject to statutory improvement plans, where there were safeguarding, quality and patient safety issues. The main focus was on the importance of triangulation to avoid unnecessary duplication of evidence. 

Pat developed a safeguarding based competency tool that focused on addressing gaps in knowledge and skills at each level from Board to clinical and the importance of strengthening governance and strategic levels. 

Pat extended on the work by undertaking a scoping exercise on the global perspectives looking at all UN members states’ response to safeguarding adults and children. This resulted in an all-age course, that focused on the importance of governance and strategic levels requirements and how a lack of these can impact on operational, frontline and clinical levels. This resulted in the development of an education and coaching course that addresses staff competencies, knowledge and skills. 

Pat undertook a scoping of different countries’ global response to dementia care as outlined in the WHO and UN approach to dementia, which included health inequalities, reablement and the role of care givers, and this is addressed in the upcoming dementia book due to be published in Oct 2025.