Guidance published on assessing patients with dementia for NHS continuing healthcare

Guidance for healthcare professionals carrying out assessments of people with dementia for NHS continuing healthcare – a free package of care covering nursing and personal needs – has been published by the Alzheimer’s Society.

The charity says NHS continuing healthcare is a lifeline for many people with dementia and their families and it is essential that assessments are robust so those who cannot communicate verbally are not unfairly penalised.

Written by researchers at the Association of Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester, the guide provides advice on how professionals can evaluate a person’s emotional and psychological needs.

Questions and prompts to help assessors make decisions are included in the document, which warns professionals to remember that emotional distress may be communicated as behavioural disturbance.

Withdrawal, aggression and agitation are experienced by about 90% of people with dementia and can be a sign of unmet emotional needs, the guidance states.

Association for Dementia Studies director Dawn Brooker said: ‘There are a lot of misunderstandings, even among experienced professionals, about how to assess the health and wellbeing of people with advanced dementia. Our aim in writing this guidance is to ensure professionals feel confident in assessing needs thoroughly and providing evidence of their decision making.’

The guidance provides advice on determining whether a person is experiencing hallucinations, anxiety or distress.

RCN professional lead for older people and dementia care Dawne Garrett said: ‘This is a really useful publication that brings to the fore the essential and complex nature of assessing the inner needs of people living with dementia.’

The guide can be downloaded as a PDF from the Alzheimer's Society website.