Healthwatch England Report: Why it’s important to review the care of people with dementia
Healthwatch England has used evidence collected by the network to find out if people with dementia are getting the support they need.
Over 850,000 people live with dementia in the UK.
One of the most common things we hear about is the impact dementia has on families and friends, and how it can be a constant struggle to get the right support from social care services.
As dementia is a degenerative condition, The Care Act states that people are entitled to regular reviews to ensure care meets their changing needs. However, when we analysed data from 97 local councils, we found people were not getting what they were entitled to.
What Healthwatch England found:
- People don’t always have a clear understanding of the support available to them and how to access care.
- On average, people wait over two months between requesting support for dementia from the council, to that support being put in place. However by the time that people ask, they …are at crisis point.
- Once people have a care plan, only 45% are reviewed annually.
- People with dementia are more likely to receive unplanned reviews triggered by an emergency or sudden event than general social care users.
- 65% of people with dementia who had a review were referred for a full reassessment. However, half of these reassessments led to no change in the level of care and support.
- One third of people with dementia, using long-term care services did not receive any review, whether planned or unplanned.
Downloads
Healthwatch England Report: Why it’s important to review the care of people with dementia
