1.3 million employees to be provided with vital training
Health minister Dr Dan Poulter has pledged that specialist dementia training for all 1.3 million NHS workers will be carried out over the next four years to improve care services.
With only half of dementia sufferers being formally diagnosed, experts reveal that too many health workers do not know enough about the condition, which can mean that patients are left without adequate care, including food or drink.
The study also showed that dementia patients received worse care, with longer hospital stays, greater risk or readmission and a higher mortality rate.
Dealing with dementia
Dr Poulter explained to The Telegraph that all health staff, from porters to doctors, needed training in how to spot the early symptoms of dementia, how to interact with sufferers and where help and support is available. Training is aiming to be completed by 2018.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society said “This is huge progress and a massive step in the right direction. People with dementia occupy up to a quarter of hospital beds and many may not be able to communicate that they are pain, in need of help, hungry, thirsty or simply uncomfortable.”