Huge injustices in dementia training revealed across social care: half of staff receive just one to two hours of dementia learning despite 70% of care home residents living with condition
A leading charity is today warning that serious shortfalls in dementia training are leaving social care staff unprepared, unsupported, and putting people with dementia at risk of inadequate care.
New findings from research commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society and led by experts at the Centre for Dementia Research at Leeds Beckett University and IFF Research show that half of all reported training packages offered just one to two hours of dementia-specific content. Over a third of staff do not have the basic knowledge of dementia, with only 52% feeling very competent in the care they are providing.
Alzheimer’s Society is calling on the government to build a bold and ambitious dementia plan, which includes mandatory dementia training for care staff.
Around one million people are living with dementia in the UK, this is set to rise to 1.4 million by 2040, making them one of the biggest groups drawing on social care.
Dementia is complex. It affects memory, problem-solving, language and communication, so care needs to be tailored. Most dementia care is provided through social care rather than the NHS, yet these new findings reveal that only 55% of care staff in England said they had received any dementia specific training.
In England, a review of 119 training packages across 53 social care providers, combined with a survey of 184 care staff, reveals:
- 50% of dementia training packages contain only one to two hours of dementia-specific content.
- Less than half (39%) of training is delivered at the level recommended for staff who regularly support people with dementia.
- Only 47% of staff received dementia training as part of their induction, meaning over half of staff are starting to care for people with dementia with no training at all.
- 81% of care workers agreed they would like more dementia-specific training.
The charity is calling for mandatory dementia training for relevant adult social care staff.
High quality dementia training equips care workers with the skills and knowledge they need to provide good care, build positive relationships and can reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs which are sometimes used to manage behaviours that challenge. Another benefit is the potential cost savings from reduced GP appointments and emergency hospital admissions.
Michelle Dyson CB, CEO at Alzheimer’s Society said:
“One hour of dementia training doesn’t even scratch the surface. Anything less than comprehensive training leaves care workers unprepared, coping with situations they haven’t been equipped for, which can put people with dementia at risk of inadequate care.
“Baristas can receive more training to make great coffee than care workers receive to provide dementia care. Care staff want and deserve better; they need dementia training which gives them the skills and confidence to deliver the best possible care.
“Without high quality dementia training, social care will remain dangerously inconsistent, leaving families unsure whether loved ones will be supported with dignity and expertise.
“We need to close the training gap, with better dementia care, everyone benefits. It’s crucial that the UK Government includes a requirement for all relevant adult social care workers in its dementia plan.”
Joanne, who works in adult social care and cared for her father living with Alzheimer’s until his death earlier this year, said:
“In my career I have been surprised at the limited understanding amongst my peers of how dementia affects a person and their family. There are often assumptions made about what carers ‘should’ do and ignorance around all the ways dementia has an impact. My dad was fortunate to have a wife that cared for him so for the most part he was at home but where we did have some support, some of it was a mixed picture and the staff lacked the skills needed. They didn’t provide reassurance when he was agitated, he was treated like a child.
“As training is not compulsory, people living with dementia and their carers frequently come into contact with people who have incredibly limited understanding of the condition, even when they work in that field. This affects the quality of care received, the possibility of care being sustained and the wellbeing of people receiving support. Ultimately it also costs money, if care in the community breaks down, people end up in care homes. If care home placements break down, people require more specialist and expensive placements. I have seen dementia care work well and think it could be much more easily replicated if people understood the condition more.”
