NICE quality standards contain quality statements describing key markers of high-quality, cost-effective care for a particular clinical condition or pathway. These statements may focus on prevention, as well as elements of health and social care, and will promote an integrated approach to improving quality. Although these standards are not requirements or targets, the care system is obliged to have regard to them in planning and delivering services, as part of a general duty to secure continuous improvement in quality.
This quality standard focuses on dementia – the following statements are given for this topic:
1. People with dementia receive care from staff appropriately trained in dementia care.
2. People with suspected dementia are referred to a memory assessment service specialising in the diagnosis and initial management of dementia.
3. People newly diagnosed with dementia and/or their carers receive written and verbal information about their condition, treatment and the support options in their local area.
4. People with dementia have an assessment and an ongoing personalised care plan, agreed across health and social care that identifies a named care coordinator and addresses their individual needs.
5. People with dementia, while they have capacity, have the opportunity to discuss and make decisions, together with their carer/s, about the use of: advance statements, advance decisions to refuse treatment, Lasting Power of Attorney, Preferred Priorities of Care.
6. Carers of people with dementia are offered an assessment of emotional, psychological and social needs and, if accepted, receive tailored interventions identified by a care plan to address those needs.
7. People with dementia who develop non-cognitive symptoms that cause them significant distress, or who develop behaviour that challenges, are offered an assessment at an early opportunity to establish generating and aggravating factors. Interventions to improve such behaviour or distress should be recorded in their care plan.
8. People with suspected or known dementia using acute and general hospital inpatient services or emergency departments have access to a liaison service that specialises in the diagnosis and management of dementia and older people’s mental health.
9. People in the later stages of dementia are assessed by primary care teams to identify and plan their palliative care needs.
10. Carers of people with dementia have access to a comprehensive range of respite/short-break services that meet the needs of both the carer and the person with dementia.
Further information, including the full standard in PDF format, details on what each statement means and implementation resources can be found at the link below.