Dementia Care Pathway
Many people will be supporting people with dementia within communities, usually beginning with family, friends and carers whom need support and information.
Within the health and social care sector many workers will assist people with dementia to varying degrees. Examples include:
- Primary and community care – GPs, practice nurses, social workers, care co-ordinators, allied health professionals
- Personal assistants
- Domiciliary care
- General and Community Hospitals – clinical and ancillary staff including those providing clinical support
- Intermediate care
- Reablement service
- Mental Health service
- Care homes
- Palliative care
Figure 3. The dementia care pathway highlighting broad functions needed to achieve the outcomes (adapted from DH 2009 and DH 2010)
Within workforce planning, consideration is needed around the functions required in order to achieve defined outcomes. Figure 3, offers a broad care pathway and highlights the range of functions and improvements necessary to achieve quality outcomes defined by the Departmentt of Health (2010).
There are many examples of good practice and new ways of working in dementia to consider.