The NHS is relying more on charities - and that might be creating problems for patients

The distress of the man on the other end of the video call was clear to dementia specialist nurse Louise Burns. He was struggling to get his elderly mum, who had the condition, out of hospital - she needed support to move into her home. Burns was able to put him at ease.

She is part of a team running virtual clinics that support more than 100 patients and family members a week: "No matter what stage they are at, we try to help," she says. She explained the discharge process and where to go for help. The man's mother was soon back where she wanted to be.

Traditionally, a service like this would have been run by the National Health Service – but the clinic, which was set up during Covid and continued because of strong demand, is entirely funded by the charity Dementia UK. The charity's chief nursing officer Paul Edwards says it is "trying to fill the gaps" within stretched NHS services.