Fareham Community Hospital could become “dementia friendly” as it looks at ways to increase services.

Healthcare bosses want to make far greater use of the hospital and want to extend the range of healthcare available.

But as part of their ambitions for the hospital they have suggested it could become a ‘dementia friendly centre’.

NHS Fareham and Gosport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is working with a number of groups, including League of Friends, the mental health charity Mind, Hampshire County Council and the Alzheimer’s Society to attract additional services in, particularly for patients with dementia.

At present hospital services include occupational therapy, older people’s mental health service, physiotherapy and an outpatients department.

But GPs who plan and pay for most of the health services in Fareham and Gosport believe the site, in Brook Lane, Sarisbury Green, could be used more.

The hospital held a workshop to consult voluntary sector groups about how to attract more services and further workshops are planned.

Lisa Medway, the CCG’s project manager, said bosses were interested in the idea of a dementia friendly centre, but more research needed to be done about how this would be achieved and service providers would need to be consulted.