Consider general practices’ patients who are in care homes, and in the community.
Where dementia is established,
- Has a diagnosis been recorded and captured on the General Practice dementia register?
- Are these patients benefitting from regular health checks, and reviews of medication?
- What training about dementia are care home staff receiving?
- Are staff in the care home able to manage behaviours that challenge, offering alternatives to prescribing antipsychotics?
- Are inspections highlighting any concerns? What action is being taken by the local authority and health commissioners?
Find out more about the Dementia Quality Mark
Incentives and levers
- Ensure general practices are providing general medical services for patients with dementia living at home, and in care homes. These should include,
- personalised care plans
- regular health checks
- regular medication reviews
- advice and support for staff in managing behaviours that challenge
- diagnosis, where dementia is established
- advance plans to avert unnecessary admissions to hospital
- plans for care toward the end of life.
- Commission community pharmacists to undertake regular medication reviews of patients in primary care and in care homes, and advise general practitioners of possible diagnoses being ‘missed’. Call 2 Action for the reduction of prescribing of antipsychotics for people with dementia (Dementia Action Alliance and NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, 2011)
- Introduce a CQUIN to specialist dementia services to provide in-reach services and training for care home staff.