New three year strategy for Scots with dementia

A second three year National Dementia Strategy to improve standards of care for people with dementia has been launched at Alzheimer Scotland’s Dementia Connections Conference.

As part of the strategy an action plan will be put in place to ensure people with dementia are treated with dignity and respect during all hospital stays. The hospital action plan will prevent people with dementia going into hospital unnecessarily, ensure they get better care when in hospital and are helped to get home as quickly as possible once they are ready to leave.

The strategy will also build upon the achievements of the first strategy, including 300+ Dementia Champions, Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurses in health boards across Scotland, the Promoting Excellence knowledge and skills framework for all health and social care staff and the Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland.

Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing said: “I am delighted to launch our second three year National Dementia Strategy, which will further improve diagnosis rates, transform the quality of post-diagnostic support and take forward a national action plan on improving care for people with dementia in hospitals.

“We’ve already seen huge progress since we made dementia a national priority in 2007. Currently 64% of Scots are getting a diagnosis, significantly better than other parts of the UK. Everyone diagnosed from 1 April this year is entitled to a named support worker to help them and their families understand the illness, manage its symptoms and plan for future care, described as a “world leading” commitment by Alzheimer Scotland.

“However there is still more to do, including improving care in general hospitals. We will support health boards, the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurse Consultants and the 300-plus Dementia Champions now trained to ensure that, when admission to acute general hospital is unavoidable, people with dementia receive the dignity, respect and care they’re entitled to.”

Caroline Brown, member of the National Dementia Carers Action Network, said: “It is vital that hospital staff understand the experience of people with dementia in hospital. It means treating the person with dementia with dignity and respect. Talking to them, not talking past them at family members. Also listening to family members and partners who provide care. Recognising that those unpaid carers may not be medical experts, but we are experts when it comes to that person and their experience of dementia. We live with it every day.”

Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said, “We have campaigned for many years to improve standards of care for people with dementia in acute hospitals and we have made significant investment in driving this forward, not least our Specialist Dementia Nurse programme which is now jointly funded by the Scottish Government.

“It is vital that we build on the strengths of our work in Scotland to date and implement a dementia specific improvement plan for each hospital as quickly as possible. The human cost for people with dementia and their families is simply not acceptable. The financial cost of inaction is also not acceptable; we can make far better use of these resources. Developing an improvement strategy will help us take another significant step forward in tackling these extremely challenging issues.”

Other areas of the strategy include continuing to up skill the dementia workforce and improving community services to offer better and earlier support, so people with dementia can live well in their own home for longer.

Key points from the action plan for general hospitals include preparing for admission and discharge and involving families, friends and carers.