Report of the National Audit of Dementia Care in General Hospitals 2011
More than two thirds of hospital staff do not believe they have had sufficient training to deliver quality care to people with dementia, according to a report published by the National Audit of Dementia. The survey of over 2,000 hospital staff, which was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and carried out by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Centre for Quality Improvement, also found half of staff had not received sufficient training in communication with people with dementia, whilst 54 per cent had not had enough training in dealing with challenging behaviour. Furthermore, only 15 per cent of wards used colour schemes to help people with dementia find their way around the ward.
Download the reports from the first round of the National Audit of Dementia:
The National Audit of Dementia is working with hospitals providing general acute inpatient services to measure criteria relating to care delivery which are known to impact on people with dementia admitted to hospital.
Criteria include policies and governance in the hospital that recognise and support the needs of people with dementia, elements of comprehensive assessment, involvement of carers, discharge planning, and identified changes to support needs during admission.
The first round of audit took place in 2010, 99% of acute trusts in England and Wales registered one or more sites in the first round of audit.
The second round of audit is due to take place in the Spring of 2012 and it is open to all hospitals providing general acute services in England and Wales. Registration for the second round of audit is now open. Data collection is due to start in Spring 2012.