Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Supporting Individuals with Dementia Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline {{org_field_name}}’s commitment to providing high-quality, person-centred care for individuals with dementia. Dementia affects cognitive functions such as memory, thinking, and communication, requiring specialised support to maintain dignity, independence, and quality of life. Our approach ensures that individuals receive compassionate, structured and evidence-based care that aligns with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Fundamental Standards, the CQC Single Assessment Framework, NICE Dementia Guidelines and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

All employees, including care workers, coordinators, and management.
Service users diagnosed with dementia, ensuring their needs are met with dignity and respect.
Families and caregivers, promoting involvement and collaboration.
Healthcare professionals, ensuring multi-disciplinary support for holistic care.
Regulatory bodies, ensuring compliance with statutory and ethical standards.

It covers:

Principles of dementia care.
Early identification and assessment.
Person-centred care planning.
Supporting communication and engagement.
Managing behavioural and psychological symptoms.
Safeguarding and risk management.
Training and staff development.
Continuous improvement and monitoring.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy aligns with:

Care Act 2014 – Ensuring individuals with dementia receive appropriate support and safeguarding.
Mental Capacity Act 2005 – Supporting decision-making and protecting individuals who lack capacity.
Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (as amended) – including the CQC fundamental standards on person-centred care (Regulation 9), dignity and respect (Regulation 10), need for consent (Regulation 11), safe care and treatment (Regulation 12), safeguarding from abuse and improper treatment (Regulation 13), good governance (Regulation 17), staffing (Regulation 18), fit and proper persons employed (Regulation 19) and duty of candour (Regulation 20).
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Fundamental Standards and Single Assessment Framework – including the five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led) and associated quality statements that describe what good dementia care in people’s own homes should look like and how we evidence this during inspections.
Equality Act 2010 – Preventing discrimination and promoting inclusive care.
NICE Dementia Guidelines (NG97) – Outlining best practices for dementia management.
UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 – ensuring that personal and sensitive information about people using the service, including health information and any use of monitoring or tracking technology, is processed lawfully, fairly and transparently, kept secure and only shared when there is a clear legal basis to do so.

4. Principles of Dementia Care

{{org_field_name}} follows key principles to enhance dementia care:

Person-Centred Care: Recognising the unique needs and preferences of each individual.
Dignity and Respect: Treating service users with compassion and maintaining their independence.
Family and Carer Involvement: Engaging relatives in care decisions and emotional support.
Consistency and Routine: Establishing predictable care routines to reduce anxiety.
Evidence-Based Practice: Implementing the latest research in dementia care and interventions.

5. Early Identification and Assessment

To ensure timely intervention, we:

Work closely with GPs, memory clinics, and specialists to identify early signs of dementia.
Conduct comprehensive initial assessments to determine cognitive function, mobility, and social needs.
Develop individualised care plans with ongoing reassessment and adaptation as dementia progresses.

6. Person-Centred Care Planning

Care plans are tailored to the needs of each service user, including:

Daily living support (e.g., personal care, meals, mobility assistance).
Medication management in collaboration with healthcare providers.
Reminiscence therapy, music therapy, and life story work to stimulate memory.
Adjustments to the living environment to enhance safety and reduce confusion.
Regular reviews to adapt care as needs evolve.

7. Mental Capacity, Consent and Deprivation of Liberty

{{org_field_name}} delivers dementia care in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its five statutory principles. We always presume that a person has capacity to make their own decisions unless it is established that they lack capacity in relation to a specific matter. Capacity is time- and decision-specific and is assessed and recorded using a structured process where there is reason to doubt capacity.

We support people with dementia to make their own decisions wherever possible, by providing information in a way they can understand, allowing time, and using communication aids or support from family, friends or advocates, in line with CQC Regulation 11 (need for consent). Where a person lacks capacity for a particular decision, we act in their best interests and choose the option that is least restrictive of their rights and freedoms.

Staff must document capacity assessments, best-interest decisions and the involvement of families, attorneys or independent advocates clearly in the care plan. Any restrictions on movement, monitoring (including GPS or door sensors) or use of medication to manage distress must be justified, proportionate and regularly reviewed.

Where a person’s care may amount to a deprivation of liberty, we follow the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act and current Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) or future Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) arrangements once implemented, seeking the appropriate authorisation and working with the local authority and other professionals.

8. Supporting Communication and Engagement

Effective communication strategies include:

Using clear, simple language and non-verbal cues.
Encouraging active listening and patience.
Maintaining eye contact and using reassuring tones.
Adapting interactions based on the individual’s communication ability.
Promoting social activities and cognitive stimulation.

9. Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms

To support individuals experiencing agitation, anxiety, or aggression, we:

Use de-escalation techniques to manage distress.
Create calm and structured environments.
Identify and address triggers for behavioural changes.
Work with healthcare professionals to adjust medications if necessary.
Support caregivers with education and stress management techniques.

10. Safeguarding and Risk Management

To protect service users, we:

Conduct regular risk assessments to ensure a safe environment.
Implement falls prevention strategies and dementia-friendly adaptations.
Ensure compliance with safeguarding procedures to prevent neglect or abuse.
Provide guidance on wandering prevention, including GPS tracking if needed.

Our safeguarding practice is aligned with CQC Regulation 13 (safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment) and local Safeguarding Adults Board procedures. Any concerns, allegations or indicators of abuse or neglect relating to a person living with dementia are responded to promptly, reported in line with multi-agency safeguarding procedures and used to improve our systems and staff training. Where restrictive practices or monitoring technologies are used as part of risk management (for example GPS devices to reduce the risk of going missing), staff must ensure these are clearly justified, proportionate, consented to where the person has capacity, or made in the person’s best interests where they lack capacity, and regularly reviewed.

11. Training and Staff Development

To maintain high-quality dementia care, our staff receive:

Mandatory dementia awareness training.
Specialist training on advanced dementia care techniques.
Workshops on communication skills, behaviour management, and safeguarding.
Regular updates on best practices and research findings.

In line with section 20(5ZA) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the associated code of practice on learning disability and autism training, {{org_field_name}} ensures that all staff working in regulated activities receive training on learning disability and autism that is appropriate to their role. This training sits alongside our dementia training, recognising that some people using our service may have dementia as well as a learning disability or be autistic, and supports staff to make reasonable adjustments and to communicate and provide care safely and effectively.

12. Continuous Improvement , Duty of Candour and CQC Compliance

We ensure ongoing excellence in dementia care by:

Conducting regular audits of dementia care plans, risk assessments and visit records and reviewing findings at management meetings.
Actively seeking and acting on feedback from people using the service, their families, staff and external professionals.
Implementing lessons learned from complaints, safeguarding concerns, incidents and near misses, and sharing learning with staff through supervision and team meetings.

{{org_field_name}} complies with CQC Regulation 20 (duty of candour). When something goes wrong with a person’s care and treatment, we:

Inform the person (and, where appropriate, their family or representative) in an open and honest way as soon as reasonably practicable.
Offer a sincere apology and explain what is known about what happened.
Keep the person updated as investigations progress and share the outcome and any actions taken to prevent recurrence.
Record the incident, our communication with the person and the learning and improvement actions taken.

We use the CQC Single Assessment Framework, including the five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led) and relevant quality statements, to review how well we support people living with dementia in their own homes. Evidence from audits, feedback, supervision, spot checks and care-plan reviews is used to demonstrate compliance with the CQC fundamental standards and to drive continuous improvement in dementia care.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

DC44-Supporting Individuals with Dementia Policy