Why dementia training for health and social care staff matters

Alzheimer’s Society is calling on the government to improve quality and uptake of dementia training as skilled nursing staff can transform people's lives

Dementia is the biggest health and social care issue of our time, affecting around 1 million people in the UK today. Dementia is progressive and there is no cure. It affects memory, problem-solving, language and communication so care needs to be tailored. Yet not enough people living with the condition are getting the high-quality, personalised care they deserve. This must change.

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We know that people living with dementia want care that meets their needs. In our recent Alzheimer’s Society survey, when asked about what would improve the lives of people living with dementia, 65% of respondents said more care workers who are skilled in caring for those with the condition.

For people living with dementia and their families, being able to draw on care that is provided by skilled and empathetic staff significantly improves their day-to-day quality of life.

Our report, Because We’re Human Too: Why Dementia Training for Care Workers Matters, and How to Deliver it, outlines the significant benefits of dementia training, such as reducing agitation in people living with dementia, cutting emergency hospital admissions and GP visits, and the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs.

Skilled and knowledgeable health workforce can transform lives of people living with dementia

This is why Alzheimer’s Society is calling on the government to introduce a funded statutory duty for all adult social care staff to have high-quality dementia training.

Although the report focuses on the social care workforce, we know that it is intrinsically linked to healthcare and there is undoubtedly a need for improved quality and uptake of dementia training for the health workforce also, including nurses.

The National Audit of Dementia Round 5 published in 2023 suggests that only 45% of hospital staff on adult wards have received training to Tier 2 of the Dementia Training Standards Framework.

A skilled and knowledgeable workforce can transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of people living with dementia. It is important that everyone who provides care for people living with dementia learns more about the condition, how it affects people and their behaviour, and how best to support them.

Further information

Alzheimer’s Society: Dementia Training Services

Dara de Burca, executive director of dementia support and partnerships at Alzheimer’s Society