6. Educate; promote

Educate; promote

Questions to consider

  • what is the ‘diagnosis gap’ in my practice?
  • what are the needs of people living with dementia, on my practice list?
  • what do our patients’ experience tell us? what do our staff tell us?
  • how can we improve their experience, and achieve better outcomes?
  • do patients and carers/families have access to the right information and support, at the right time?

DRIVER: True prevalence and diagnosis rate for GP patient registered list

Actions Resources Examples
Estimate true prevalence and calculate local diagnosis rate:

  • estimated prevalence of dementia in the community,
  • estimated prevalence of dementia in local care homes.

Use true local prevalence as a baseline in order to establish ‘diagnosis gap’ and local trajectories for improvement. Estimate:

  • local diagnosis rate
  • local ‘diagnosis gap’ in the community, and among patients living in care homes
  • patients with co-morbidities
  • potential needs of carers/families

DRIVER: Knowledge, skills and capacity

Actions Resources Examples
Listen to the voices of people living with dementia.
Review learning needs, and build in to General Practice team development plans training and education in dementia recognition, assessment, and care.
Consider new roles, and new ways of working to support people with memory problems and a diagnosis of dementia, and their carers/families in primary care and the community.

DRIVER: Recognition and support

Actions Resources Examples
Ensure patients and carers/families have access to a range of information about memory problems, and dementia
Promote and support dementia friendly communities.