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Hospitals must become more dementia friendly, patients say

Hospitals must become more dementia friendly, patients say
11 August 2015



Patients rated hospitals’ ability to meet the needs of dementia sufferers as significantly lower than other factors necessary for a safe, clean environment, a Health and Social Care Information Centre report published today revealed.

Patients rated hospitals’ ability to meet the needs of dementia sufferers as significantly lower than other factors necessary for a safe, clean environment, a Health and Social Care Information Centre report published today revealed.

There were 1,333 Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), which rated hospitals in terms of their cleanliness; food and hydration; privacy, dignity and wellbeing; condition, appearance and maintenance; and whether the premises are equipped to meet the needs of dementia sufferers.

The national average rating for the dementia category was 74.51%, which is significantly lower than the ratings in each of the other categories.

The national average for cleanliness was rated highly at 97.57%; condition, appearance and maintenance was 90.11%; food and hydration was 88.49%, and privacy, dignity and wellbeing was rated at 86.03%, a slight drop from 2014 which was 87.73%.

The dementia assessment focused on flooring, decor and signage, but also includes other things such as the availability of handrails and appropriate seating and, to a lesser extent, food.

The report recommends that organisations undertake their own, more comprehensive assessments using one of the recognised environmental assessment tools available, looking at a fuller range of issues for dementia patients and how their hospital or health centre meets their needs.

See the full report here.

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